Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets October 22 Betting Preview

How dare we doubt the Columbus Blue Jackets at home! Or maybe we gave the Nashville Predators more credit than we should have. The Blue Jackets were the better team on Thursday night but were down on the scoreboard heading into the third period.

Needless to say, we were very impressed with CBJ’s third-period performance as they took the game away from the Predators’ to get their second win of the season.

Having won two games in a row at home, the Blue Jackets welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to Nationwide Arena on Saturday night.

Pittsburgh is the second of three games in four nights for the Blue Jackets, as they will travel to New York to play the Rangers on Sunday afternoon. The matchup against the Penguins is the first of back-to-back games, so which CBJ goalie starts should affect your betting selection.

We’ll review the Blue Jackets and Penguins seasons so far to find the best pick for your betting ticket. Puck drop for the Penguins vs. Blue Jackets is scheduled for 7:00 p.m on Saturday, October 22nd, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Want to place a risk-free bet on this Saturday night hockey matchup? Visit betJACK Training Camp to get in the game today!

Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview

The Blue Jackets have a 2-3-0 record. Columbus has averaged 1.80 goals per game across their first five games. The Blue Jacket remains the only team to have not scored a power-play goal this season. While the penalty killers have been great, operating at 86.7 percent efficiency.

Johnny Gaudreau continues to impress and leads the Blue Jackets with 6 points (four goals, two assists), while Yegor Chinakhov has surged into second in scoring with four points (zero goals, four assists). Four Jackets’ have three points a piece in 2022-23, including Jakub Voracek and Gustav Nyquist.

Elvis Merzlikins has been pretty good in net for the Blue Jackets. Again, how head coach Brad Larsen manages his goalies will be essential to making a final betting selection over the back-to-back games against the Penguins and the Rangers. Merzlikins gives CBJ the best chance to win, but he cannot play every game.

So far in 2022-23, Merzlikins - our likely starter against the Rangers - has a 2-1-0 record, with a 3.60 goals-against average and a .872 save percentage. Daniil Tarasov - whom we think starts against Pittsburgh - has an 0-2 record, with a 4.50 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage.

Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Preview

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a veteran team have started the 2021-22 season quite strong. The Penguins come to Columbus with a 3-0-1 record. In their last outing against the Los Angeles Kings on October 20, Pittsburgh defeated Los Angeles 6-1, scoring three goals against both of the Kings’ goalies.

The Penguins spread the scoring throughout the lineup, with six different players scoring against the Kings and averaging 5.0 goals per game so far in 2022-23.

Sidney Crosby leads the Pittsburgh Penguins with six points (two goals and four assists). Bryan Rust has five points (two goals, three assists), while six other players have at least three points this season. The Penguins’ power play is operating at 31.3 percent, while their penalty kill has been operating at 72.2 percent.

Tristan Jarry is undoubtedly the Penguins’ number one goalie and has a record of 3-0-0, with a 1.34 goals-against average and an unbelievable .952 save percentage.

Penguins backup Casey DeSmith has a 0-0-1 record, posting a 2.85 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. If DeSmith is starting for the Penguins, we are far more likely to make CBJ our pick in this game.

Penguins vs. Blue Jackets Odds

According to betJACK, the Blue Jackets are listed as the moneyline betting underdog at (+148). The Penguins are the moneyline betting favorite at (-179).

While you can pick various betting options, we’ll use the NHL standard puck line spread of 1.5. We’ve got the Blue Jackets +1.5 listed as the betting favorite to cover the spread at (-167) odds, while the Penguins -1.5 are the betting underdog at (+138) odds.

Our Prediction

The Blue Jackets are the underdog and aren’t expected to challenge for a playoff spot this year, while Pittsburgh has an excellent starting goalie and a veteran-filled roster looking for another shot at a deep playoff run.

We’re hoping CBJ proves another prediction of ours wrong on Saturday night. Along with the data, we’re favoring the Pittsburgh Penguins to win on the moneyline. The Penguins have been scoring in bunches this season, and the Blue Jackets might have trouble keeping up if the Penguins start to fill the net.

We’re picking the Penguins on the moneyline. However we’re hoping the Blue Jackets cover the spread, keep it close, and maybe win in the end.