In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers face off at Madison Square Garden for a Metro Division matchup. The opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, November 6, and you’ll be able to watch it live on Fox Sports Ohio.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Rangers Odds
The money line for either team is currently set at an identical -110. The Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals and initially opened at -115 for the under and -105 for the over. Those odds have moved since they opened, and they presently sit at -120 for the under, +100 for the over.
Columbus is 9-5 straight up (SU) and has earned 3.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 14 regular season matches, eight of its games have gone over the total, while six have gone under and none have pushed. This 2017-18 Blue Jackets team is 4-3 SU on the road.
The Blue Jackets have converted on 11.4 percent of their power play chances so far. That’s a noticeable drop-off from last season, when they were ranked 10th in the league by scoring on 19.7 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has gotten stronger year-over-year, however, as they’ve gone from successfully defending 81.5 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 14th overall last season) to 83.3 percent this year.
For the team as a whole, the Jackets have been penalized just 3.1 times per game this season, a number that has improved from the 3.6 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 8.8 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to kill penalties for 7.3 minutes per outing this season.
Averaging 28.9 saves per game with a .927 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky (8-3-1) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, the team might go with Joonas Korpisalo (1-2), who has a .887 save percentage and 3.67 goals against average this year.
Seth Jones and Artemi Panarin will both be relied on to facilitate things for the visiting Blue Jackets. Jones has 11 points via three goals and eight assists, and has recorded two or more points in two different games. Panarin has one goal and 10 assists to his name (and has registered at least one point in seven games).
On the other bench, New York is 6-9 straight up (SU) and has recorded -5.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 15 regular season outings, nine of its games have gone over the total, while six have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 4-6 SU at home so far this year.
The Rangers have converted on 21.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York players have been called for penalties 4.1 times per game this season, a number that has risen some from the 3.4 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 7.8 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 9.1 minutes per matchup this season.
Henrik Lundqvist has denied 26.8 shots per game as the primary netminder in goal for the Rangers. Lundqvist has five wins, seven losses, and two overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a poor .902 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average this year.
Mika Zibanejad (eight goals, six assists) and J.T. Miller (three goals, 11 assists) will lead the attack for NY.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Rangers Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The over has hit in four of New York’s last five outings.
- New York has averaged 3.1 goals per game overall this season, but has raised that figure up to 4.3 per contest across its three-game win streak.
- Four of New York’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 3-1 overall in those games.
