Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Islanders November 12 Betting Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back and entering Saturday night’s game after a win! CBJ looks to make it two wins in a row but face a difficult task in the New York Islanders.

Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview

Columbus Blue Jackets hockey returned with a win in their last outing, improving CBJ’s record to 4-9-0.

In their last outing, CBJ defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2, ending a five-game losing streak. Joonas Korpisalo made 32 saves to get his first win of the season, while Johnny Gaudreau had three points (one goal, two assists), and Boone Jenner scored twice.

After the win, Columbus is averaging 2.69 goals per game and 4.39 goals against. The Blue Jackets’ powerplay is still the worst in the NHL, sitting at two powerplay goals and dropping to 5.7% operational. The penalty killers have only given up eight goals, operating at 78.9%.

While we expect Elvis Merzlikins to start for CBJ, we’d roll with momentum and start Korpisalo. If Korpisalo gets the start, he has a 1-1-0 record with a 3.50 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. If Merzlikins does get the start, he has a 2-5-0 record, with a 4.82 goals-against average and a .863 save percentage.

New York Islanders Betting Preview

The New York Islanders enter Saturday’s game against the Blue Jackets with a 9-6-0 record. The Islanders have won three of their last five games, including wins over the New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, and St. Louis Blues.

Yet, in their last game, the Islanders lost to the Arizona Coyotes 2-0. Ilya Sorokin made twenty-six saves in the loss. We expect Sorokin to get the start against CBJ. Sorokin has a 6-4-0 record with a 2.09 save percentage and a .936 save percentage.

The Islanders have been rotating their goalies recently, so there is a chance that Semyon Varlamov will get the start. If Varlamov does get the start, he has a 3-2-0 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

The veteran Islanders are averaging 3.27 goals per game and 2.53 goals against per game. The Islanders’ special teams have been good, scoring eight goals and converting on 17.8% of their opportunities. In contrast, the penalty killers have killed off 85.7% of the Islanders’ penalties, only giving up seven powerplay goals.

Blue Jackets vs. Islanders Odds

We’ve got the New York Islanders as the moneyline favorite, listed with (-233) odds, while the Blue Jackets are the moneyline underdog, listed at (+188). The Islanders have a 9-6 record on the moneyline, while CBJ has a 4-9 record.

Our Prediction

We were happily surprised by CBJ’s victory against the Flyers. However, the Islanders’ veteran crew isn’t going to be an easy out and, despite losing to Arizona, are playing pretty good hockey to open the season.

The Islanders are the moneyline favorite because they should win this game. If you want to bet on CBJ, we’d recommend taking them to cover the spread (+1.5). We’re taking the New York Islanders to hand CBJ their tenth loss of the season on the moneyline.