Columbus vs. New Jersey: NHL Match Prediction

Current form

Columbus has been on the decline for too long, and the team losing streak has reached four games, and only in two of them were they able to give a worthy rebuff to their opponents. In the first game, the Blue Jackets, despite their high level of play, were unable to cope with the onslaught of Philadelphia. The meeting ended in a 3:5 defeat. The team main goalie, Merzlikin, reflected only 80% of the shots. In the second game, the Blue Jackets hosted the leader of the Eastern Conference, Washington, at their arena. This time, the team showed a more confident game in defense and was able to cling to one point, losing in overtime with a score of 1:2. After the defeat to Washington, it seemed that the Jackets had found their game and would be able to give their opponents a fight. However, in the match with Anaheim, the club again faced difficulties. Despite all efforts, the team was unable to maintain the advantage and lost in overtime with a score of 3:4.

Evans' charges then went on the road to play against much more powerful opponents, suffering a 1-4 defeat at the hands of Carolina and losing 3-5 to Tampa Bay. As you can see, huge problems in defense arose again, and they were unable to rehabilitate themselves through offensive performance. Due to the long slump, the team has already dropped to 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Disqualifications and injuries

Columbus' infirmary remains unchanged. Gudbransson, Jenner and Chinakhov will definitely not play in the upcoming match. Danforth is also questionable.

Interesting trends for betting

• On average, Columbus concedes 3.6 goals per game.

The club main problem remains its terrible defensive play, which is the main reason for the losses.

• The Blazers average nine penalty minutes per game.

One cannot help but notice the very weak discipline of the club, which leads to frequent removals.