New York Rangers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets January 16 Betting Preview

The New York Rangers (24-13-7) and Columbus Blue Jackets (13-27-2) meet in one of 11 games on the NHL schedule Monday night. New York, third place in the Metropolitan Division, is coming off of a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, but are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. Columbus beat the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday and is 3-7 in its last 10 games.

Jaroslav Halak is expected to start for the Rangers. He has a 4-6-1 record with a 2.85 goals-against average (GAA) and .896 save percentage this season. Joonas Korpisalo will likely get the nod for the Blue Jackets. He's 6-8-1 with a 3.28 GAA and .908 save percentage.

New York Rangers Betting Preview

The Rangers are among the hottest teams in the league and finally playing to expectations, but they'll be in for a tough win win with Halak starting. New York has relied heavily on Igor Shesterkin through the first half of the season, and he's played well. Halak, meanwhile, is having one of the worst seasons of his career. The Rangers may need to look into acquiring another goaltender at the trade deadline.

Even with their loss last night against the Canadiens, New York has won five of its last eight games and has earned a point in seven of eight. They've only lost by more than one goal once since a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on December 3. 

New York's defense and goaltending (Shesterkin, at least) have been solid this season, but its offense is middle of the pack with 3.16 goals per game, which ranks 16th in the league. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad are first and second in scoring with 47 and 45 points, respectively. Former top-three picks Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere have been somewhat disappointing this season, as Lafreniere could potentially be moved at the trade deadline.

Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview

The Blue Jackets have been a disappointment since the start of the season, and, at this point, it's in the team's best interest to keep losing in hopes of landing Connor Bedard with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Yet, the players on the roster aren't going to purposely lose a game, as most will be playing for jobs next season. Columbus has plenty of advantages in this game. They're 10-13-1 at home, which isn't great but much improved over their 3-14-1 road record. They also have the benefit of an extra day of rest and have beaten the Rangers in their last two meetings. Columbus beat the Rangers 5-1 in October.

Rangers vs. Blue Jackets Betting Odds and Prediction

Considering the Blue Jackets are playing at home and avoid facing Shesterkin, they actually have a good shot at scoring the upset victory over the Rangers. The Blue Jackets are paying out +143 on the moneyline, while the Rangers are -173 favorites. Take the Blue Jackets and the over 6.5.