The Columbus Blue Jackets will travel to the Great White North on Friday night to take on the Winnipeg Jets. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with a Blue Jackets-Jets prediction and pick.
The Blue Jackets are coming off a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. Joonas Korpisalo allowed five goals on 37 shots. To make matters worse, the Blue Jackets announced after the game that Korpisalo would miss the rest of the season with a hip injury.
The lone Columbus goal came from Gustav Nyquist, on a pass from Jakub Voracek and Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets took the early lead before allowing five unanswered goals. Columbus is 4-4-2 in the last 10 games. The Blue Jackets are 13 points behind the Washington Capitals for the final Wild Card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with their playoff hopes fading fast.
The Jets lost their last game 5-2 at home to the Ottawa Senators. After Josh Morrisey scored a goal to give Winnipeg the lead, Brady Tkachuk tied it for the Sens, sending the game tied at one into the third period.
Despite that, things spiraled out of control in the third period. Tyler Ennis scored a goal to give the Sens a lead with just over 10 minutes left. Then, Colin White added another goal a minute later, before Connor Brown scored in the very next minute.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck struggled over the third period, finishing with four goals allowed on 32 shots. The Jets are five points behind the Dallas Stars for the final Wild Card spot and 6-4 over a 10-game stretch.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Blue Jackets-Jets odds.
NHL Odds: Blue Jackets-Jets Odds
Blue Jackets: +1.5 (-160)
Jets: -1.5 (+130)
Over: 6.5 (-128)
Under: 6.5 (+104)
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Why The Blue Jackets Could Cover The Spread
Columbus shut out Winnipeg in the last meeting, a 3-0 victory in November. Elvis Merzlikins stopped all 36 shots he faced. Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp, and Nikolaj Ehlers all fired five shots each at the goalie, but none of their shots got through. Werenski, Gregory Hofmann, and Andrew Peeke scored a goal apiece as the Jackets cruised to victory. Goal scoring has been the strength of the Blue Jackets.
Columbus ranks 11th in the NHL in scoring. Patrik Laine has paced them with 25 goals on the season. Voracek has contributed with 42 assists. While Columbus has struggled in many aspects, its ability to score gives them cadence heading into the match with Winnipeg. It also helps that the Blue Jackets will face the Jets on the tail end of a back-to-back. Columbus will likely face backup goalie Eric Comrie, providing another interesting opportunity.
The Blue Jackets will cover the spread if they can score goals and contain the Jets. With Korpisalo out for the year, Columbus will likely turn to Merzlikins in hopes of a victory. Columbus looks to sweep the season series for the first time since 2017.
Why The Jets Could Cover The Spread
Winnipeg has played erratically recently, seemingly trading blowout wins and staggering defeats. However, the Jets have played the Blue Jackets well. Winnipeg has won three of the last five games the teams have played against one another. In addition to that, the Jets have taken the past two home games against Columbus. These teams have not played in Winnipeg since 2019, and the Jets have won the last two home games by the same 4-3 score.
Connor has paced the scoring attack, as he has 40 goals on 80 points. Also, Mark Scheifele has contributed 24 goals on 59 points. Blake Wheeler is still dangerous as he has generated 40 assists. But the strength of the Jets could come from goaltending.
Backup goalie Eric Comrie likely gets the nod. Comrie is 7-2-1 with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. The different look gives the Jets an edge because the Blue Jackets have faced him one time ever.
The Jets will cover if they score early in the game and keep the pressure on the Blue Jackets. Comrie will be the key to victory, and if he can play well behind the defense, the Jets can rebound from their last game and cover the spread.
Final Blue Jackets-Jets Prediction & Pick
Both teams are stumbling, and the season seems to be slipping away. But Columbus is 6-4 in its last 10 road games, and the Jets will be on the end of a back-to-back. Columbus will cover the spread as this game goes down to the wire.
Final Blue Jackets-Jets Prediction & Pick: Blue Jackets +1.5 (-160)
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