Boston - Columbus: forecast for the NHL match
On December 29, there will be a meeting between Boston and Columbus. The teams met literally the day before, and then the "uniforms" crushed their counterpart. The Bruins were completely unprepared for that confrontation and did not have time to get into the game rhythm after Christmas. Are they able to take revenge on their offender on their home court? What bet should they make? Find the answers to these questions in the forecast

Command Analysis

Boston Bruins

Current form
Boston had been showing inconsistent results for most of the season and was even outside the playoff zone. Such results led to the replacement of the head coach. After that, the team affairs improved and it began to please the fans more often. Before the break, the Bruins earned points in five games in a row and after a loss to Edmonton (2:3 OT), they dealt with both Buffalo (3:1) and Washington (4:1) at home, while in both cases they were left with only one goal allowed.
True, after returning from the holidays, the "bears" failed to get into the game at all. They were considered favorites in the away match with "Columbus", but suffered a crushing defeat, failing to show themselves in both defense and attack. Let us emphasize that this does not happen often with Joe Sacco team this season.
However, the club continues to show a rather weak game on its home ice, as up to this point it has managed to win only six victories within 60 minutes. Incidentally, Boston is not a fan of the second period at all, as it currently has a 31:40 ratio of goals scored and goals conceded and rarely keeps it. The Bruins also still have difficulties with the majority and have only a 13.6% power play rate.
Disqualifications and injuries
Hampus Lindholm will not play in the upcoming match due to injury
Interesting trends for betting
- Boston has a 27-36 goal-to-goal ratio in the third period.
The Bruins are having a pretty weak third period.
- Boston makes 27 hits per game
The "Bears" act quite harshly towards their opponents and use force at every opportunity

Columbus Blue Jackets

Current form
Even before the start of the season, Columbus was considered one of the main outsiders and, according to many experts, could not claim to get into the playoffs. However, the team is not in the basement of the tournament table and is now literally two points behind the top eight, so it can enter the playoff zone in the near future. However, recently they have not been distinguished by stable results and, at best, alternated successful matches with defeats.
Earlier, they dealt with New Jersey on their home ice (4:2), then lost to Philadelphia on the road (4:5 OT), and just after the victory over Montreal (5:4) they beat the Bruins big. It is worth mentioning that in most cases the club shows a rather mediocre game in defense and on average concedes at least three goals. At the moment, Columbus remains one of the most conceding in the East.
We would also like to emphasize that Dean Evason team is not doing well in the minority, and they are ranked 27th in the league in this indicator and have only a 74% neutralization rate of the opponent majority. Plus, if Columbus has already managed to win eight victories in regulation time at home, then the situation is not so rosy away from home, because up to this point the club has celebrated success only four times within 60 minutes.
Disqualifications and injuries
Gudbransson, Danforth and Jenner will be out with injuries.
Interesting trends for betting
- Statistically, Columbus receives 8.66 minutes of penalty time.
On average, the "uniforms" are sent off at least four to five times per match
- Columbus has a 39-51 lead in goals scored and allowed in the second period.
The "uniforms" often lose in the second period
Trends
Bet 1st period: total under 1.5 goals
In three out of five matches between the clubs, the first period was unscoring
2.00Bet 3rd period: home team win
In three out of five meetings, the hosts achieved success in the third period
2.00Tip and bets
Boston should probably draw conclusions after a major defeat and pull themselves together. Columbus, in addition, has demonstrated rather weak results on the road this season and rarely achieves success. In addition, many previous matches that took place on the Bruins' ice ended in favor of the home team. The Uniforms, of course, played a great match the day before, but after the move, the nature of the game may change dramatically. We think that Joe Sacco team is quite capable of taking revenge and dealing with the opponent within 60 minutes.
Prediction - Boston win for 1.80
Bet on individual total
Columbus has been playing rather poorly in defense throughout the season and is currently one of the most conceding clubs in its conference. As a rule, on average, the Blue Jackets concede at least four times on the road. Boston usually scores a lot in matches with such opponents, especially when playing at home. Moreover, after such a humiliating defeat, the Bears will think only about the attack, so we suggest betting on their individual total.
We take the individual total of “Boston” over 3.5 goals with a coefficient of 1.95
Total Bet
Matches involving Columbus are often spectacular and end with a large number of goals scored. The team plays poorly in defense, but also takes advantage of its chances well and skillfully acts on counterattacks. The last two matches that took place between the clubs this season were played with no less than six goals scored, so this time we will play the total over.
We bet on total over 5.5 goals with odds of 1.65