The Boston Bruins (7-1-0) and Columbus Blue Jackets (3-5-0) tangle at Nationwide Arena Friday. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET (NHL Network).
Boston took down the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 Thursday and has won 4 consecutive games. The surging Bruins have scored 3 goals or more in 7 of their 8 games. They have piled up 36.0 shots on goal per game since Oct. 15, and their powerplay ranks 9th in the NHL with 8 goals in 32 opportunities (25%).
The Blue Jackets last played Tuesday when they lost 6-3 at home to the Arizona Coyotes. Columbus has yielded 12 goals over its last 2 losses, and its season goals-against average of 4.1 ranks 27th in the league.
Bruins at Blue Jackets odds
- Moneyline: Bruins -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Blue Jackets +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Bruins -1.5 (+150) | Blue Jackets +1.5 (-190)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Bruins at Blue Jackets projected goalies
Linus Ullmark (5-0-0, 2.01 GAA, .936 SV%) vs Elvis Merzlikins (2-2-0, 4.06 GAA, .863 SV%)
Ullmark owns a .914 SV% across 8 years in the NHL. He’s been quite good away from home the last couple of seasons (.920 SV% last season) and is coming off a strong home start against the Dallas Stars Tuesday (30 saves on 31 shots).
Merzlikins is coming off a 23-minute relief appearance Tuesday and has not started since Saturday when he coughed up 6 goals in a home start against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He owns a .919 SV% over 63 career home games.
Bruins at Blue Jackets picks and predictions
Prediction
Blue Jackets 4, Bruins 3
Moneyline
Look for a high-energy game from a Blue Jackets group that has been banged up in the early going.
An older Boston club is playing its 3rd game in 4 days. That last happened Oct. 18, when the Bruins laid an egg and lost to the Ottawa Senators 7-5.
Boston has puck possession and shot-quality figures that don’t fully support the fast start; Columbus has better analytics than scoreboard margins, especially over the team’s last 5 or 6 games.
Early-season winning road teams are often profitable fades in the NHL.
BACK THE BLUE JACKETS (+120).
Puck line/Against the spread
The set-up for this one does not scream a tight 3-2 game, and the juice isn’t too enticing either. So, peg the ML as the better risk/reward PASS.
Over/Under
Ullmark has been a bit more up-and-down than his overall numbers might suggest, and Merzlikins is certainly off to a shaky start.
The Over is a lean, but the price here is exorbitant PASS.
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