A pair of teams currently on two-game losing skids, the Vancouver Canucks and the Columbus Blue Jackets clash at Nationwide Arena. Sportsnet will showcase this East-West matchup, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 1.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Vancouver is 34-30 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 64 regular season outings, 35 of its games have gone over the total, while 25 have gone under and just three have pushed. The Nucks are 14-19 SU as the road team in 2019-20.
Vancouver has converted on 23.8 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Vancouver has been penalized 3.9 times per game overall in the 2019-20 season, and 2.6 per game over its last five outings. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays just 13.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 30.3 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Jacob Markstrom (23-20-4) has been the top option in goal for Vancouver this season. If head coach Travis Green decides to rest him, however, Vancouver could turn to Thatcher Demko (12-11-2), who has a .903 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average this year.
J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Canucks. Miller has 65 points on 25 goals and 40 assists, and has recorded multiple points 18 times. Pettersson has 25 goals and 35 assists to his credit, and has notched at least one point in 38 games.
On the other bench, Columbus is 31-35 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 39 of its matches have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just one has pushed. This season, the team’s 19-16 SU as the home team.
Columbus has converted on just 16.0 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 27th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Columbus players have been penalized only 2.9 times per game this season, and 1.6 per game over their last five contests. The team’s had to kill penalties just 3.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Joonas Korpisalo has stopped 24.9 shots per game as the primary selection in goal for Columbus. Korpisalo has 18 wins, 16 losses, and five OT losses to his name and has recorded a .911 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average this year.
Pierre-Luc Dubois (18 goals, 28 assists) will pace the attack for the Jackets.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the total has gone over in four of their last five matches.
- Vancouver has managed 29.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Columbus is averaging 33.8 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- The Canucks are 12-9 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Blue Jackets are 9-12 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- Vancouver is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Columbus is 0-4 in shootouts.
- Columbus is ranked 28th in the league this season with 6.3 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down lately, however, as the team has created 5.0 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Vancouver is ranked 20th overall with 7.0 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher recently, as the team has averaged 7.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 9.8 takeaways over its last five.
