The Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils are both fighting to make the playoffs and the Metropolitan Division rivals square off Tuesday night in an important matchup. The Devils are home betting favorites in the NHL lines and playing some of their best hockey of the season right now.
“I think with both of them, they have some pretty underrated shots,” Palmieri said. “They’re mostly pass first guys but Pav and Nico have great releases and great accuracy on their shots. As a guy who’s gotten a chance to play with both of them, I’d love to see them shoot more. I think the guys, as they year goes on, they keep getting better every game down the stretch. It’s going to be important for them to keep playing well and keep playing with confidence and playing in some hard minutes for us.”
Keith Kinkaid stopped 40 of 42 shots in the 3-2 overtime win. It’s the 28-year-old’s second straight win to improve his record to 13-7-2 with a 3.17 goals against average and .897 save percentage.
The Devils remain without winger Miles Wood. He was suspended two games for boarding Tampa Bay’s Vladislav Namestnikov. The incident occurred on Saturday night and it landed Wood two minutes in the penalty box. He also got another two minutes for roughing after Lightning defender Andrej Sustr came to his teammate’s defense. Wood won’t be eligible to return until Thursday.
Tuesday Night NHL Lines & Expert Prediction: Columbus vs. New Jersey
When: Tuesday, 7 PM ET Where: Prudential Center, Newark TV: NHL Center Ice, FSOH, MSG+ Radio: 97.1 FM (Columbus) / 101.9 FM (New Jersey) Opening NHL Lines: Devils -110, Jackets -110 (5.5)“We still have a chance to be in that playoff spot. It’s about moving on and getting better.” – @mattcalvert11#CBJ pic.twitter.com/z84t6Jh3vQ
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 19, 2018
Season Series
This will be the last regular-season meeting. On Dec. 5 in Columbus, the Devils won 4-1. Stefan Noesen, Taylor Hall and rookie Jesper Bratt each had a goal and an assist for New Jersey. Schneider stopped 41 shots and shut out the Blue Jackets in the last two periods. Travis Zajac also scored and rookie Nico Hischier had two assists for the Devils. Nick Foligno scored and Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves for the Blue Jackets, who were 0-for-6 on the power play. On Dec. 8 in New Jersey, the Jackets won 5-3. Artemi Panari had five assists, tying a franchise record set by Espen Knutsen against Calgary on March 24, 2001. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Lukas Sedlak, Scott Harrington, Alexander Wennberg and Zach Werenski scored for Columbus. Bobrovsky made 21 saves. Brian Boyle, Marcus Johansson and Blake Coleman had the New Jersey goals. Schneider stopped 23 shots. Finally, on Feb. 10, the Devils lost 6-1 in Columbus. Panarin and Oliver Bjorkstrand each had a goal and an assist, and Bobrovsky stopped 35 shots for Columbus. Josh Anderson, Foligno and Matt Calvert also scored. Keith Kinkaid, playing in place of an injured Cory Schneider, stopped 44 shots for the Devils.Latest NHL Lines Trends
- Columbus is 3-9 ATS in the last 12 games
- Columbus is 2-8 SU in the last 10 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of Columbus’s last 6 games
- New Jersey is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games
- New Jersey is 4-1 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went OVER in 5 of New Jersey’s last 6 games
Why Bet on Columbus?
The Jackets lost their third straight on Sunday, 5-2 to Pittsburgh. Rookie Tristan Jarry, who was in for starter Matt Murray on the second leg of a back-to-back, had 35 saves for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, playing its third game in four days, won despite being outshot by the Blue Jackets 37-23. Artemi Panarin and Alexander Wennberg scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 18 shots for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky is now 24-19-5 with a 2.49 goals against average and .918 save percentage. Panarin now has 16 goals and 47 points through 59 games this season. Panarin has achieved just under a point-per-game pace since the beginning of December. Nick Foligno was unable to finish Sunday’s game a as he suffered a lower body injury. He is expected to miss 1-2 weeks. He has 13 goals and 26 points in 59 appearances this campaign. In addition, defenseman Dean Kukan (upper body) will be sidelined for at least one week. Kukan was also injured Sunday against Pittsburgh and he has been placed on injured reserve by the Blue Jackets. He has chipped in four assists in 10 games with Columbus this year. The Blue Jackets lead the NHL in shots per game yet are lingering near the bottom of the division.Why Bet on New Jersey?
The Devils won their fourth straight on Sunday, 3-2 in overtime at Carolina. Taylor Hall scored the winning goal with 22 seconds left in OT. The 26-year-old has been unstoppable lately, with at least one point in each of his last 18 games. Hall is riding an 11-game point streak since his return from a thumb injury. He is up to 24 goals and 62 points in 54 games this season. Pavel Zacha scored for the second straight game Sunday. Zacha has only six goals and 19 points in 52 games this season but has come on of late with three goals and seven points in his last 10 games. Rookie Nico Hischier scored in his fourth straight game Sunday. The center was selected first overall in 2017 by the Devils and he has not disappointed. he has 13 goals and 39 points in 59 games, impressing all. Teammate Kyle Palmieri thinks that Hischier (and fellow center Zacha) should shoot the puck more. Hischier was selected as the first star of the week by the NHL.What Does Palmieri Has to Say?
“I think with both of them, they have some pretty underrated shots,” Palmieri said. “They’re mostly pass first guys but Pav and Nico have great releases and great accuracy on their shots. As a guy who’s gotten a chance to play with both of them, I’d love to see them shoot more. I think the guys, as they year goes on, they keep getting better every game down the stretch. It’s going to be important for them to keep playing well and keep playing with confidence and playing in some hard minutes for us.”
Keith Kinkaid stopped 40 of 42 shots in the 3-2 overtime win. It’s the 28-year-old’s second straight win to improve his record to 13-7-2 with a 3.17 goals against average and .897 save percentage.
The Devils remain without winger Miles Wood. He was suspended two games for boarding Tampa Bay’s Vladislav Namestnikov. The incident occurred on Saturday night and it landed Wood two minutes in the penalty box. He also got another two minutes for roughing after Lightning defender Andrej Sustr came to his teammate’s defense. Wood won’t be eligible to return until Thursday.
