The Chicago Blackhawks (9-6-4) visit the Columbus Blue Jackets (8-7-4) for a Tuesday night (7 p.m. ET) tussle at Nationwide Arena. Below, we analyze the Blackhawks-Blue Jackets NHL odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Blackhawks at Blue Jackets: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:15 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Blackhawks +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Blue Jackets -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Blackhawks +1.5 (-250) | Blue Jackets -1.5 (+200)
- Over/Under: 5.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
Blackhawks at Blue Jackets: Projected starting goalies
Kevin Lankinen (7-3-3, .927 SV%, 2.43 GAA) vs. Joonas Korpisalo (5-4-3, .889 SV%, 3.49 GAA)
Lankinen owns a .939 SV% in 5-on-5 play. Among goaltenders appearing in 10 or more games, only G Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) and G Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas) have better percentages. The ‘Hawks rookie logged his first career shutout two starts back (Feb. 17 vs. Detroit); he then allowed four goals in a loss in his last game (Feb. 19 vs. Carolina). Two of the four goals he allowed against the Hurricanes were of the power-play variety.
Korpisalo has been running hot-and-cold this month, and overall cold has been winning out. In eight February appearances, the 26-year-old Finn has logged a shaky .847 SV%. One of his iffy recent efforts came against these Blackhawks (5 goals allowed at Chicago on Feb. 11). Korpisalo’s last 60-minute start was Feb. 13; he’s since been pulled in one start and solid as a backup in another.
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Blackhawks at Blue Jackets: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Blackhawks 3, Blue Jackets 2
Money line (ML)
Columbus is 4-5-1 with subpar puck-possession numbers over its last 10 games. The Jackets own a 63.6% kill rate on penalties over that span, and the losses have often been of the decisive variety.
Lankinen has made four starts on more than one day of rest. He has stopped 134 of 137 pucks (.978) in those four efforts. Chicago may prove to be a club too far out over its skis when it gets into a tough March schedule, but the Blackhawks are a solid play in this one.
BACK THE BLACKHAWKS +115.
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Against the spread (ATS)
STEER CLEAR of the juice-filled prices here. A play on a Chicago club that has only once in its last 16 games lost by multiple scores is intriguing. A -225 on that side would make for some value.
Over/Under (O/U)
No lean here: PASS.
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