Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Winnipeg Jets December 2 Betting Preview

We’ve said throughout the season that it will be a challenging year for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but as long as they’re competitive most nights, we’ll be happy.

The Blue Jackets might have lost their last game 3-2 in a shootout to the Vegas Golden Knights, but they came back from a two-goal deficit to force overtime against the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights.

Columbus heads to Winnipeg to face the Jets, who look the part of a playoff contender in 2022-23. This is the first of two head-to-head matchups between CBJ and the Jets in 2022-23. We’ll review the stats, odds, and trends and find the best CBJ picks for Friday’s betting ticket.

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Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview

After losing to the Golden Knights, the Blue Jackets have a record of 7-12-2. CBJ has lost four of their last five, with three games ending in a 1.5-goal spread and two games hitting the over of 6.5.

The Blue Jackets are now averaging 2.86 goals per game on 29.7 shots, while allowing 4.10 goals on 36.2 shots per game. The powerplay is converting on 15.4 percent of their chances (eight powerplay goals), while the penalty kill has been average, killing 79 percent of CBJ’s penalties (thirteen powerplay goals). The Blue Jackets' powerplay and the team’s offense as a whole should receive a boost in the next game or two.

Although you can find Johnny Gaudreau listed as day-to-day and Patrik Laine and Elvis Merzlikins on injury reports, the Columbus Blue Jackets will likely be the healthiest we’ve seen them this season on Friday night. Laine, Gaudreau, Merzlikins, and Erik Gudbranson will all likely be in the lineup against the Jets. 

Merzlikins' return from injured reserve leaves us unsure who will start for the Blue Jackets. Daniil Tarasov started the last game against the Golden Knights, and CBJ’s goaltending rotation suggests it’s Joonas Korpisalo’s turn in the net. While we don’t know exactly which goalie will start, we know that the likely tandem will be Merzlikins and Korpisalo. 

If Merzlikins gets his first start since returning from injury, he has a 2-5-0 record, a 4.74 goals-against average, and a .864 save percentage. If Korpisalo starts against the Jets, he has a 3-4-1 record, a 3.75 goals-against average, and a .899 save percentage.

Winnipeg Jets Betting Preview

The Winnipeg Jets are currently second in the Central Division with a 14-6-1 record. The Jets have won four of their last five, with all five games hitting the over of 6.5 and three games ending in at least a 1.5 goal spread.

The Jets are averaging 3.24 goals per game on 30.3 shots while giving up 2.52 goals on 31.7 shots per game. The Jets’ special teams are as good as you’d expect from one of the better teams in the league at the moment. The Jets' powerplay is converting on 20.9 percent of their chances (fourteen powerplay goals), while the penalty killers have been successful 82.1 percent of the time (ten powerplay goals against).

The Jets are coming off a 5-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on November 29. Blake Wheeler scored a hat-trick, while Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele added goals of their own. Connor Hellebuyck made forty saves to get the shutout victory.

Hellebuyck has started the last four games in a row and has started five in a row at one point this season. With the awful Anaheim Ducks next on the schedule for the Jets, we expect David Rittich to get the start against the Ducks but can’t rule him out as the starter against the CBJ. 

If Rittich does get the start, he has a 3-1-0 record, a 2.77 goals-against average, and a .890 save percentage. If Hellebuyck starts, the Blue Jackets will have a much more difficult fight on their hands. Hellebuyck has an 11-5-1 record, a 2.29 goals-against average, and a .931 savage percentage.

Odds and Betting Prediction

As expected, the Winnipeg Jets are the moneyline favorite listed at (-239), while the Columbus Blue Jackets are listed at (+190) odds. 

As mentioned, we’ve got the Blue Jackets listed at +1.5 on the spread with (-127) odds, while the Jets are listed at -1.5 with (+105) odds. The Jets have a 13-8 record against the spread, while CBJ are 10-11 against the spread.

We’ve only wanted our Blue Jackets to be competitive in a difficult year, and they’ve been just that on most nights. We hope the healthiest Blue Jackets lineup battles hard against the Jets, but ultimately, we think they will lose this one. If you want to bet on the moneyline, we’d take the Jets. 

We’d also take the over, simply on the Jets scoring over the past five games. We see something like a 4-3 game, especially if Rittich starts for the Jets. If it's Hellebuyck, the under is likely the best bet.

But we want CBJ to be competitive and keep things close. We’re taking CBJ to cover the 1.5-goal spread and hoping they keep this one close in a game they should lose in the end to a better hockey team.