The Columbus Blue Jackets are sitting at 30-23-8 and will take on the Florida Panthers with their 38-21-3 record tonight in what should be a fairly exciting matchup for these 2 Eastern Conference foes.
The Blue Jackets are trying to hold onto their playoff positioning as they’re in the wild-card hunt, while the Panthers are looking to extend their win streak and solidify their #1 seed in the Atlantic Division.
With so much on the line for tonight’s matchup, there are undoubtedly tons of bets to be made and we’ve got the expert analysis and prediction to help you load up your bet slip.
The Panthers enter this game as heavy -250 favorites, while the Blue Jackets are barely in this as +215 underdogs. The puck line is set with Florida at -1.5 at +105, and the total goals line is at 6.5 with -115 over and -105 under. This looks lopsided at first, but we still think it’ll be a great game because there’s more to this story than just the odds.
The first meeting between these two teams earlier in the season ended in a 4-3 win for Florida. That was a tight game back in October, but these are 2 different teams now and with both teams in playoff contention, we are expecting another competitive game.
Columbus has relied on its offense this season, which is never a good approach when you’re trying to wrestle your way into the playoffs. They’re averaging a decent 3.33 goals per game with Zach Werenski at 66 points, Kirill Marchenko at 24 goals, and Kent Johnson powering the attack. For the last few weeks, this team has shown the ability to score in bunches.
However, the biggest issue for the Blue Jackets is undoubtedly their defense. They’ve allowed 3.30 goals per game and are not getting any better. In fact, they’ve allowed an average of 3.75 GA/G in the last 4 alone.
Sure, Elvis Merzlikins has been solid at times but he holds just a .896 save percentage and a 3.02 goals-against average overall. That puts him in the lower half of the league. Daniil Tarasov hasn’t been much better either, which has left the Blue Jackets struggling in the net.
Columbus has also had problems in their last couple of games, allowing a combined 9 goals. If their defense doesn’t tighten up and start shutting down the low slot, the Panthers could have a field day against the Jackets.
Florida has won 4 straight games which includes a shutout against Calgary earlier in the week. This is thanks to a balanced attack and strong goaltending.
Sam Reinhart with 31 goals and 64 points and Aleksander Barkov with 40 assists have led the way offensively, with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett providing secondary scoring. As we all know, the key to going deep into the playoffs is to have depth on the bench — and that’s exactly what they have.
Defensively, the Panthers have been nothing short of excellent as they’re allowing just 2.77 GA/G. Sergei Bobrovsky has been in top shape with a decent .906 save percentage and an excellent 2.55 goals-against average. Florida’s blue line has also stepped up recently, holding opponents to just 5 goals in their last 4 games.
With Columbus struggling defensively and Florida on a hot streak, this could be a long night for the Blue Jackets. That’s not to say the Jackets can’t get their act together tonight, after all, they did come close to taking out the defending Stanley Cup champions in their first matchup.
The Panthers are simply the better team right now and there’s no denying that.
They’ve won 4 straight, have an elite defense, and have already beaten Columbus once this season. The Blue Jackets’ leaky defense is one of the biggest concerns, and Florida has the firepower to take advantage of it.
As much as we’d like to see Columbus figure it out and get one over on the Panthers, we just don’t see it happening.
BettorsInsider’s Prediction: Panthers 4, Blue Jackets 1
Best Bet: Panthers -1.5 (+105)
We have a feeling that Florida will control the game from start to finish, and with Bobrovsky playing well, they have a strong chance of covering the puck line with no problem at all. We expect the Panthers to put up at least 4 goals while holding the Blue Jackets to 1 or 2 tops.