In their final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings collide at the Staples Center. The opening face-off is at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday, January 6, and fans at home are able to view this East-West matchup live on Fox Sports West.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Los Angeles Kings Odds
Columbus (-105) is entering this one as the underdog to Los Angeles (-115), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-125 for the under, +105 for the over).
Columbus is 19-23 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. 26 of its matches have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Jackets are 7-12 SU on the road in 2019-20.
Columbus has converted on just 16.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it has successfully killed off 80.8 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Columbus has been sent to the penalty box just 3.3 times per game overall during the 2019-20 season, 3.8 per game over its past five contests total, and 3.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s had to kill penalties just 8.2 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Boasting a .913 save percentage and 25.7 saves per game, Joonas Korpisalo (17-15-5) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus this year. If Columbus chooses to rest him, however, head coach John Tortorella may go with Elvis Merzlikins (2-11-5 record, .904 save percentage, 2.94 goals against average).
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Gustav Nyquist will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Blue Jackets. Dubois has 28 points on 14 goals and 14 assists, and has recorded two or more points in five different games. Nyquist has nine goals and 19 assists to his credit, and has logged a point in 21 games.
On the other bench, Los Angeles is 17-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 43 regular season contests, 24 of its games have gone under the total, while 17 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 11-9 SU at home this year.
Los Angeles has converted on just 14.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places it in the bottom 5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Los Angeles players have been sent to the penalty box 3.4 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five games. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 7.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Quick (25.6 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for Los Angeles. Quick has 11 wins, 17 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a mediocre 3.05 goals against average and a poor .894 save percentage this season.
The Kings will be led on offense by Anze Kopitar (15 goals, 22 assists).
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Los Angeles Kings Free Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Kings, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in four of Los Angeles’ last five outings.
- Over Columbus’ last ten games, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-0 in those games).
- Columbus skaters notched 23.0 hits per game last season, while the Kings logged 23.3 hits per contest.
