Columbus Blue Jackets vs Chicago Blackhawks NHL Picks, Odds, Predictions 2/23/21

The Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets meet Tuesday in NHL action at the Nationwide Arena.

The Chicago Blackhawks look for a win after winning six of their last eight games. The Chicago Blackhawks are averaging 2.9 goals per game and are scoring on 32.7 percent of their power play opportunities. Alex DeBrincat leads Chicago with nine goals, Patrick Kane has 18 assists and Dominik Kubalik has 56 shots on goal. Defensively, the Chicago Blackhawks are allowing 2.7 goals per game and are killing 82.1 percent of their opponents power plays. Kevin Lankinen has given up 32 goals on 440 shots faced and Collin Delia has given up 10 goals on 73 shots.

The Columbus Blue Jackets look for a win after splitting their last eight games. The Columbus Blue Jackets are averaging 2.8 goals per game and are scoring on 15.2 percent of their power play opportunities. Cam Atkinson leads Columbus with seven goals, Oliver Bjorkstrand has 10 assists and Seth Jones has 40 shots on goal. Defensively, the Columbus Blue Jackets are allowing 3.3 goals per game and are killing 73.8 percent of their opponents power plays. Joonas Korpisalo has given up 40 goals on 360 shots faced and Elvis Merzlikins has allowed 12 goals on 127 shots.

The Blackhawks are 4-1 in their last 5 road games and 6-2 in their last 8 overall. The Blue Jackets are 0-7 in their last 7 Tuesday games. The under is 5-2 in Blackhawks last 7 overall. The under is 5-2 in Blue Jackets last 7 games as a favorite. The Blackhawks are 14-5 in the last 19 meetings in Columbus and 21-8 in the last 29 meetings. The favorite is 20-9 in the last 29 meetings.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are probably the better team on paper and should be favored to win this game, but we’ve backed the Blackhawks a lot over the last couple of weeks and they’ve cashed a bunch of sweet tickets. Many considered this to be part of a rebuilding season for the Blackhawks, but the defensive effort is there and they’re finding ways to win, mostly in the underdog role. Things may change down the line, but for now, the Blackhawks hold value.