In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the New York Rangers and the Columbus Blue Jackets collide at Nationwide Arena. MSG2 will air this Metropolitan Division matchup, and the action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 5.
New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus enters the game as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -145. The line for New York is standing at +125 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 6 goals (-120 over, +100 under).
New York is 13-13 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 16 of its outings have gone under the total, while 10 have gone over and none have pushed. This 2019-20 Rangers team is 5-6 SU on the road.
New York has converted on 18.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 26th in the league, and it has successfully killed off only 75.5 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, New York has been sent to the penalty box 4.8 times per game overall this season, and 4.2 per game over its last five matchups. The team has been forced to kill penalties a whopping 15.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 31.1 saves per game with a .910 save percentage, Henrik Lundqvist (7-10-2) has been the top option in goal for New York this year. If head coach David Quinn decides to rest him, however, New York might go with Alexandar Georgiev (6-5-1 record, .912 save percentage, 3.07 goals against average).
The visiting Rangers have relied on Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome heavily this year. Panarin has 33 points via 12 goals and 21 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 12 different games. Strome has six goals and 17 assists to his name (and has logged at least one point in 16 games).
Columbus is 11-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 27 regular season matches, 15 of its games have gone under the total, while 11 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 8-8 SU at home this year.
Columbus has converted on 20.9 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 20th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Columbus players have been sent to the penalty box only 3.1 times per game this season, 2.6 per game over their past five match ups total, and 3.2 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to kill penalties just 6.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Joonas Korpisalo has stopped 25.4 shots per game as the top choice in the crease for Columbus. Korpisalo has 11 wins, 10 losses, and one overtime loss and has recorded a poor .902 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average this season.
Pierre-Luc Dubois (10 goals, eight assists) and Gustav Nyquist (seven goals, 11 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the Blue Jackets.
New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in each of New York’s last five outings.
- The Rangers are 6-6 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Blue Jackets are 2-5 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- Columbus is ranked 27th overall this season with 6.6 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as the team has averaged 5.8 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.2 takeaways over its last five.
- New York has created 5.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.5 takeaways per game (ranked 10th).
