The Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils meet in NHL action from the Prudential Center on Wednesday night. Who will come out ahead in this Metro division matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Blue Jackets vs. Devils Prediction.

Columbus Blue Jackets Team Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this game looking to rebound from a 4-1 loss at the hands of Toronto last time out. Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 25 points including a team-high 24 assists while Johnny Gaudreau has 22 points with 16 assists. Kirill Marchenko has 21 points with a team-high 13 goals and Adam Fantilli has 20 points with 9 goals and 11 assists. Ivan Provorov has 19 points with 17 assists and Boone Jenner has 18 points with 13 goals of his own. Elvis Merzlikins has gone 7-8-5 in goal for Columbus with a 3.17 GAA and a .909 save percentage while Spencer Martin is 2-7-1 with a 3.57 GAA and a .892 save percentage this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Team Facts

The Blue Jackets have lost each of their last 10 night games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
The Blue Jackets have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last five games at Prudential Center following a home loss.
The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Blue Jackets’ last eight games following a home loss.
The road team has won the first period in each of the Blue Jackets’ last six games.

New Jersey Devils Team Preview

The New Jersey Devils will be looking to build on a 3-2 win over Detroit in their last matchup. Jack Hughes leads the Devils in scoring with 39 points including a team-high 14 goals and 25 assists while Jesper Bratt has 38 points with 25 assists. Tyler Toffoli has 24 points with a team-high 14 goals while Dougie Hamilton has 16 points with 11 assists and Luke Hughes has 16 points with 12 assists as well this season. Vitek Vanecek has gone 12-6-1 with a 3.28 GAA and an .884 save percentage while Akira Schmid is 5-7-1 with a 3.26 GAA and an .893 save percentage this season.

New Jersey Devils Team Facts

The Devils have lost six of their last seven games as home favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
The Devils have failed to cover the puck line in 17 of their last 18 games at Prudential Center.
The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in 10 of the Devils’ last 11 games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
The underdogs have won the second period in each of the Devils’ last four games.

Matchup/League Facts

The New Jersey Devils rank 3rd in the league in power play percentage this season (30.00%).
The New Jersey Devils rank 29th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.56).
The Columbus Blue Jackets rank 30th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.63).
The Columbus Blue Jackets rank 25th in the league in power play percentage this season (15.31%).

Blue Jackets vs. Devils Prediction

I’m on the Blue Jackets +1.5 here. The only way to get any real value with the Devils is to take them on the puck line, and they’ve only won by two or more goals once in 17 home games this season. Columbus isn’t always going to win or keep things close on the road, but the Devils just don’t blow teams out at home. Give me Columbus +1.5 here.