The Columbus Blue Jackets (21-38-7) make the 2nd stop of a 5-game road trip against the Los Angeles Kings (39-20-9) on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Blue Jackets vs. Kings odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Blue Jackets kicked off the road trip with an exciting 6-5 victory in overtime against the San Jose Sharks. While Columbus allowed 4-plus goals for the 5th consecutive game, the 6 goals tied a season high, accomplished 3 other times. One of those times was a 6-5 OTW against the Kings on Dec. 11 in the 1st meeting in Columbus.
The Kings picked up a 5-2 home win against the New York Islanders on Monday, and Los Angeles has now rattled off 6 wins in its last 7 outings. The offense has been alive, too, averaging 4.0 goals per game (GPG) across the 7-games.
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Blue Jackets at Kings odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:01 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Blue Jackets +235 (bet $100 to win $235) | Kings -280 (bet $280 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Blue Jackets +1.5 (+100) | Kings -1.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Blue Jackets at Kings projected goalies
Elvis Merzlikins (7-12-2, 4.10 GAA, .880 SV%) vs. Pheonix Copley (20-4-3, 2.69 GAA, .902 SV%, 1 SO)
Merzlikins came on in relief on March 7 in his most recent appearance, stopping all 7 shots he faced. He has been away from the team in Latvia due to a family issue, but he is expected to return. If he can’t get back in time, either Daniil Tarasov (3-9-1, 3.40 GAA, .903 SV%) or Michael Hutchinson (0-1-1, 4.36 GAA, .873 SV%) would get the starting nod.
Copley is expected to start, as coach Todd McLellan wants to keep his goaltender rotation intact, and Joonas Korpisalo started the last game. It’s a shame, as the latter won’t get to face his former team after coming over from Columbus at the NHL trade deadline on March 1.
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Blue Jackets at Kings picks and predictions
Prediction
Kings 5, Blue Jackets 2
Moneyline
The Kings (-280) will cost you nearly 3 times your potential return, and that’s way too risky, even against one of the worst teams in the NHL.
AVOID.
Puck line/Against the spread
The KINGS -1.5 (-120) are a much better value play laying the goal and a half.
In its last 4 victories, Los Angeles has won by 2 or more goals. As a favorite, the Kings have cashed on the puck line in 6 of the last 9, too.
On the flip side, the Blue Jackets +1.5 (+100) aren’t worth the risk due to their goaltender situation. Columbus is just allowing too many goals, and even if Merzlikins can make it back from Latvia, he has been super erratic this season.
Over/Under
The OVER 6.5 (-115) is the lean, mostly due to the fact the Blue Jackets have allowed 5.0 GPG across the last 4 outings. The Over is 4-0 in those outings, and 6-2 across the last 8 games overall.
For the Kings, the Over is 17-8-2 in the last 27 games overall, while cashing at a 10-4 clip in the last 14 games against Eastern Conference foes, and 15-5 in the last 20 against Metropolitan Division teams.
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