St. Louis Blues Travel to Columbus to Face the Blue Jackets

The St. Louis Blues will travel to the Nationwide Arena to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday evening in an Eastern vs Western Conference showdown.

The Blues are currently second in the Central Division (34-17-8, 76 points), while the Blue Jackets are sitting at fifth in the Metropolitan Division (30-27-3, 63 points).

These teams are playing for the second and final time in the regular season. St. Louis was able to pick up a 6-3 home victory against Columbus all the way back on November 27.  

These teams are looking pretty similar up to this point in the season, so this should be an entertaining matchup.

Game Preview: St. Louis Blues at Columbus Blue Jackets March 19

Center Jordan Kyrou has been playing decently well as he is tied for 26th in the league in points. He is also tied for 27th in assists as he has posted 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) while adding six points in their previous three games. The Blues are doing incredibly well on the offensive side of the ice as a team this season as he is averaging 3.54 goals on 30.7 shot attempts thus far.

On the defensive side of the game, St. Louis is giving up 2.76 goals on 31.5 shots this season and needs their goaltender Jordan Binnington to step up. He has a 13-12-4 record with 3.11 goals allowed per game with a .903 save percentage up to this point.  

Columbus has scored well up to this point as they are scoring 3.25 goals on 29.8 shots right now. They have right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand leading the offensive output for the team; he has 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) with seven points in his last five games.

Goalie Elvis Merzlikins is expected to be in the net for the Blue Jackets, and he has a 21-15-3 record with a .902 save percentage and 3.44 goals allowed per game this season. As a team, the Blue Jackets are allowing 3.67 goals on 35.6 shots against. 

St. Louis Blues at Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Prediction

Both teams are very similar on both sides of the ice, but the injury for Columbus on center Boone Jenner is going to be a major factor.

The defenses have been pretty close as of late this season as St. Louis is averaging 3.4 goals allowed in their previous five games, while Columbus is giving up four goals in the last three games.

Both teams are doing well against the spread this season as the Blues are 33-26 while the Blue Jackets are 35-25 right now. All in all, go with the St. Louis Blues to cover the puck line.

* 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.