In their last head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Edmonton Oilers collide at Rogers Place for an East-versus-West tilt. Sportsnet West will showcase the game, and the puck drops at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 27.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Edmonton Oilers Odds
With a moneyline of -150, Columbus comes into the contest as the obvious favorite. The line for Edmonton sits at +130 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Columbus is 42-34 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.1 units this year. 40 of its matches have gone under the total, while 35 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Jackets are 17-20 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Columbus has converted on just 15.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 25th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off only 77.6 percent of its penalties.
The Jackets, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 3.0 times per game overall this season, and 3.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 6.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 28.1 saves per game with a .922 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky (34-27-5) has been the best option in goal for Columbus this year. If it decides to rest him, however, head coach John Tortorella might go with Joonas Korpisalo (8-8 record, .902 save percentage, 3.23 goals against average).
Artemi Panarin and Thomas Vanek will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Blue Jackets. Panarin (69 points) has tallied 25 goals and 44 assists, and has recorded multiple points 14 times. Vanek has 21 goals and 29 assists to his credit (and has logged a point in 36 games).
Over on the other bench, Edmonton is 34-42 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 76 regular season matches, 36 of its games have gone over the total, while another 36 have gone under and just four have pushed. The team’s 17-21 SU at home this year.
The Oilers have converted on just 14.5 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 31st in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.2 percent of all penalties.
Oilers players have been sent to the penalty box 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot (27.9 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Oilers. Talbot has 30 wins, 31 losses, and three OT losses to his name and has registered a fairly-weak .909 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average this season.
The home team offense will be led by Connor McDavid (39 goals, 60 assists).
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Edmonton Oilers Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Five of Edmonton’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 4-1 overall in those games.
The Blue Jackets are 18-16 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 36-27 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Columbus is 6-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Edmonton is 4-1 in shootouts.
The over has hit in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
Edmonton has averaged 16.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 12.4 giveaways per game (ranked 30th in the NHL).
Columbus skaters have averaged 8.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 6.2 giveaways per game (the fourth-fewest in the league).
The Oilers this season have tallied the second-most hits in the league (26.6 per game), but that number has risen to 30.2 over their past five home games.
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