Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and the Boston Bruins will face off against Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, and the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in an Eastern Conference tilt. New England Sports Network will showcase the matchup, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 2.
Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
The Blue Jackets (-135) are the favorite over the Bruins (+115), and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -130 for the over and +110 for the under.
Boston is 47-32 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 42 of its games have gone under the total, while 33 have gone over and just four have pushed. This 2018-19 Bruins team is 18-21 SU on the road.
Boston has converted on 26.4 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 17th out of 31 teams, and it’s successfully killed off 80.6 percent of its penalties..
Boasting a .914 save percentage and 24.7 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (26-18-5) has been the primary option in goal for Boston this season. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to rest him, however, the team could go with Jaroslav Halak (21-18-4), who has a .920 save percentage and 2.40 goals against average this year.
On the other bench, Columbus is 45-34 straight up (SU) and has earned 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this year. 44 of its matches have gone under the total, while 29 have gone over and just six have pushed. The team’s 22-18 SU at home this season.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 14.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked second overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.9 percent of all penalties.
Sergei Bobrovsky has stopped 26.0 shots per game as the top selection in goal for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky has 36 wins, 24 losses, and one OT loss to his name and has registered a .914 save percentage and 2.55 goals against average this year.
Boston Bruins at Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Nine of Columbus’ last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals. The club is 7-2 overall in those games.
- The extra-man advantage may have a critical role in tonight’s game. The Bruins are 24-15 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 30-20 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blue Jackets are 23-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 38-27 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Boston (2-3 in shootouts) has more shootout experience coming into this one. Columbus has participated in only a couple of shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
- The over has hit in four of Boston’s last five games.
- Boston is ranked 15th this season with 10.1 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended lower, however, as the team’s averaged 8.3 giveaways over its last 10 games and 8.4 giveaways over its last five.
- Columbus has averaged 5.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 7.3 giveaways per game (ranked 3rd).
