The Columbus Blue Jackets (3-2-3) and Chicago Blackhawks (2-3-3) drop the puck on the front half of a two-game weekend set Friday night. The Jackets and ‘Hawks will get underway at 8 p.m. ET at United Center. Below, we analyze the Blue Jackets-Blackhawks NHL odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

Blue Jackets at Blackhawks: Odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:25 a.m. ET.

Money line: Blue Jackets -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Blackhawks +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
Against the spread/ATS: Blue Jackets -1.5 (+200) | Blackhawks +1.5 (-250)
Over/Under: 5.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)

Blue Jackets at Blackhawks: Projected starting goalies

Joonas Korpisalo (1-1-2, .928 SV%, 2.45 GAA) vs. Kevin Lankinen (2-0-2, .931 SV%, 2.18 GAA)

Korpisalo stopped 28 of 31 shots Tuesday vs. the Florida Panthers. He stopped 28 of 30 shots in one start against the Blackhawks last season. Korpisalo owns a .944 SV% over two road turns this winter and has a history as being a solid option in road games.

Lankinen has the hot hand in a three-goalie competition for Chicago, although G Malcolm Subban was solid in an overtime loss at the Nashville Predators Tuesday. Lankinen has a sparkling .944 SV% in even-strength play, and he’s been sharp against shots from the doorstep and on second chances off rebounds.

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Blue Jackets at Blackhawks: Odds, lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

Chicago 3, Columbus 2

Money line (ML)

Puck-possession and shot analytics peg the Blackhawks as being a better unit in their own zone this season. That’s on the heels of coughing up the most shots in the league last year, so that’s not to say the ‘Hawks are suddenly a top-third group.

C Jonathan Toews (undisclosed(, F Kirby Dach (wrist) and W Alex Debrincat (COVID-19 protocol) are out of the lineup, and that fact showed up in Chicago generating just two even-strength goals and 40 even-strength shots in two games in Nashville. The Blackhawks’ expected-goals percentages are impressive, and they’re getting decent goaltending.

These two teams have thus far played similar schedules in 2021. The transitive results favor Chicago’s efforts in those games. Columbus played a home game Thursday and the Jackets are 1-2-1 in four road games. They struggled mightily on the road down the homestretch in last year’s shortened season (0-3-4 last seven road games).

There is solid value in the BLACKHAWKS (+105).

Against the spread (ATS)

Three of Chicago’s last five games have been one-goal affairs. Five of Columbus’ last six fit that bill.

STEER CLEAR of a juice-filled puck line.

Over/Under (O/U)

TAKE THE UNDER 5.5 (+100). Peg this matchup with some respect for the goaltending (albeit in a small sample for the Chicago end).

With the Jackets on the back half of two-in-two-days and the ‘Hawks showing some recent slow-tempo tendency, projecting a 3-2 or 4-1 outcome is worth the +100 proposition.

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