Columbus Blue Jackets (23-34-12) vs. Colorado Avalanche (44-20-5)
March 22, 2024 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Colorado Avalanche -370 / Columbus Blue Jackets +280; Over/Under: +6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Colorado Avalanche meet Friday in NHL action from the Ball Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Colorado Avalanche prediction.
Columbus Blue Jackets Team Preview
The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this game looking to bounce back from a 4-3 OT loss to Detroit last time out. Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets with 51 points including a team-high 40 assists while Zach Werenski has 43 points with 38 assists. Kirill Marchenko has 33 points with a team-high 18 goals and Dmitrii Voronkov has 31 points with 17 goals and 14 assists. Elvis Merzlikins has gone 12-15-8 in goal for Columbus with a 3.33 GAA and a .900 save percentage while Daniil Tarasov is 7-9-3 with a 3.20 GAA and a .904 save percentage this season. The Blue Jackets will take on the Golden Knights and Coyotes after this one.
Columbus Blue Jackets Team Facts
- The Blue Jackets have lost 15 of their last 17 games after coming off overtime.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in six of the Blue Jackets’ last seven games at Ball Arena.
- The Blue Jackets have lost the second period in five of their last six games at Ball Arena.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 10 of the Blue Jackets’ last 11 night games.
Colorado Avalanche Team Preview
The Colorado Avalanche come into this game looking to build on their current seven-game win streak after a 4-3 win over St. Louis last time out. Nathan MacKinnon has 117 points with a team-high 42 goals and 75 assists while Cale Makar has 75 points with 58 assists. Mikko Rantanen has 93 points with 37 goals and 56 assists and Valeri Nichushkin has 49 points split between 25 goals and 24 assists this season. Alexandar Georgiev has started 54 games for Colorado, going 35-15-3 with a 2.83 GAA and a .902 save percentage this season while Justus Annunen is 5-2-1 with a 2.38 GAA and a .926 save percentage this season. The Avalanche will play against the Penguins after this game.
Colorado Avalanche Team Facts
- The Avalanche have won each of their last eight games at Ball Arena against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Avalanche have covered the puck line in each of their last seven night games at Ball Arena against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Avalanche have won the third period in seven of their last eight games at Ball Arena against opponents on a losing streak.
- The ‘Over 2.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the Avalanche’s last eight home games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Blue Jackets vs. Avalanche Prediction
I’m on the Avalanche -1.5 here. The Avs are the better team in this matchup by a mile and they’re the only team with anything of consequence to play for in this matchup. The Blue Jackets are at a point in the year where they’re simply playing out the string and in a spot like this I want to just run the other way. The price isn’t great with the Avs, but it’s Colorado or nothing for me in this matchup.
