Pittsburgh Penguins vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction 3-28-24 Picks

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Thursday in NHL action at the PPG Paints Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Blue Jackets vs Penguins prediction.

Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off losses to the Jets, Red Wings, Avalanche, Golden Knights and Coyotes. The Columbus Blue Jackets are averaging 2.85 goals per game and are scoring on 15 percent of their power play opportunities. Boone Jenner leads Columbus with 22 goals, Johnny Gaudreau has 43 assists and Kirill Marchenko has 166 shots on goal. Defensively, the Columbus Blue Jackets are allowing 3.67 goals per game and are killing 76.5 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Daniil Tarasov has allowed 67 goals on 699 shots faced, and Elvis Merzlikins has given up 127 goals on 1,233 shots.

Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Preview

The Pittsburgh Penguins recently beat the Hurricanes while losing to the Avalanche and Stars. The Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging 2.92 goals per game and are scoring on 14.4 percent of their power play opportunities. Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh with 35 goals, Erik Karlsson has 38 assists, and Jake Guentzel has 185 shots on goal. Defensively, the Pittsburgh Penguins are allowing 2.99 goals per game and are killing 81 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Tristan Jarry has allowed 131 goals on 1,355 shots faced, and Alex Nedelijkovic has given up 69 goals on 731 shots.

Pittsburgh Penguins Team Facts

• The Penguins have won each of their last 17 home games against the Blue Jackets.
• The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in 11 of their last 12 games as home favorites following a home win.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Penguins’ last 10 games.
• The Penguins have won the third period in each of their last six games against the Blue Jackets following a win.

Columbus Blue Jackets Team Facts

• The Blue Jackets have lost each of their last 17 games at PPG Paints Arena.
• The home team has covered the puck line in 10 of the Blue Jackets’ last 12 games.
• The favorites have won the second period in each of the Blue Jackets’ last six games.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Blue Jackets’ last seven games following a road loss.

Blue Jackets vs Penguins prediction

The Penguins aren’t lighting the world on fire, but they still have a mathematical shot at making the playoffs, so that should be some sort of motivation. We can’t say the same for the Blue Jackets, who are getting absolutely abused defensively during this losing stretch. The Penguins have won 9 of the last 10 meetings against the Blue Jackets, which includes a 5-3 win earlier this month. This is a gift for the Penguins to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Give me the Penguins and the PL for max betting value.