Columbus Blue Jackets Travel to Ottawa to Face the Senators

The Columbus Blue Jackets will head to the Canadien Tire Centre on Wednesday night as they take on the Ottawa Senators in an Eastern Conference game. This is scheduled to be the second of three games against one another; back on January 23, Ottawa picked up a 2-1 victory over Columbus.

The Blue Jackets are fifth in the Metropolitan Division (29-27-3, 61 points), and the Senators are sitting in sixth place in the Atlantic Division (21-32-5, 47 points).  

Both of these teams are attempting to get back on the right track after a big losing streak. Let’s look a bit deeper into Columbus and Ottawa to figure out on which team we should be betting here.

Game Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators March 16

The Blue Jackets have been doing a solid job on the offensive side of the game as they are averaging 3.20 goals on 29.6 shots per game while the Senators are scoring 2.64 goals on 29.9 shot attempts.

Columbus will be dealing with center Boone Jenner (back) on Injured Reserve, so they need someone like rightwinger Jakub Voracek to step up. He is tied for 18th in the league in assists as he has 43 points (three goals, 40 assists) while scoring three points in his last four games.

Compare that to left winger Brady Tkachuk for Ottawa, as he has recorded 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) this year while scoring four points in as many games. 

Elvis Merzlikins has been struggling a bit in the net as he is 20-15-3 this season while allowing 3.42 goals per game and a 90.3 save percentage up to this point for the Blue Jackets.

The Senators have Anton Forsberg being the goaltender in this game as he has a 13-11-2 record while saving 91.6 percent of shots while giving up 2.70 goals per game.

As a whole defensively, Columbus is allowing 3.66 goals on 35.7 shots while Ottawa is giving up 3.14 goals per game on 33.7 shot attempts thus far.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators Betting Prediction

These defenses have been on two different levels as of late as Columbus is giving up 4.75 goals in their last four games while Ottawa is allowing 3.4 goals in their previous five games.

Looking at the against the spread numbers this season, the Blue Jackets are 34-25 while the Senators are 30-28 against the spread.

We should be in for an exciting bout, but in terms of betting, it is hard to look past the Blue Jackets. Go with the Columbus Blue Jackets to cover the puck line on the road.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.