Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Islanders Betting Guide: Undervalued Total on Long Island

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Islanders Moneyline, Total, and Odds

Moneyline: Blue Jackets +142 | Islanders -176

Spread: Blue Jackets +1.5 (-170) | Islanders -1.5 (+138)

Total: 6 Over -102 | Under -120

All NHL betting lines and odds are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Islanders News, Analysis, and Picks

The Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders are clinging to their slim playoff chances ahead of Thursday night’s contest at the UBS Arena. The Jackets offense has come alive over their recent stretch, scoring four or more goals in seven of their previous 10 outings. The Islanders are on a similar trend, recording three or more tallies in four of their past five. Improved scoring, along with questionable goaltending and defensive metrics, should help this game make its way over the total.

New York has been hemorrhaging chances over their past few games. Opponents have attempted 10 or more high-danger and 30 or more scoring chances at five-on-five in three of their past four. As expected, those metrics look even worse across all strengths, with opponents cracking the 40-mark in scoring chances twice while averaging 39.3 and 12.5 high-danger opportunities per game. New York cannot afford to give the Columbus offense more room to operate as they are scoring efficiently over their recent sample.

Columbus has elite scorers that have helped them establish the sixth-best shooting percentage in the league. That shooting percentage has come up over their recent sample, with the Jackets putting up above-average shooting percentages in seven of their past 10, with a 13.4% average over that sample. Although this number should start to trend lower, we’re not anticipating that against an Islanders team that is giving up a ton of chances.

On the other end of the ice, the Blue Jackets’ goalies haven’t offered much resistance recently, giving up three or more goals in 11 straight games. Columbus hasn’t done much to support their netminders, giving up an average of 13.1 high-danger chances per contest over the 11-game sample. It’s not surprising with defensive metrics like that the team save percentage is eighth-worst in the NHL at 89.8%.

The Jackets have been on a hell of an over streak, eclipsing the total in nine of their past 11. We’re anticipating more defensive lapses from the Islanders on Thursday that should help that streak continue. We’re backing over 6 at plus money.

The Picks: Over 6 -102

All NHL predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.