The New Jersey Devils (15-11-1) travel to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets (10-16-5) on Saturday, December 16th. This game will be played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets

The New Jersey Devils Are Coming Off A Win

In their 27 games, the Devils have a 15-11-1 record this season. While playing at their home arena, they have a 6-6-1 record, and their record on the road is 9-5-0. This record has them sitting 6th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 11th in the Eastern conference. New Jersey comes in with six wins with a margin of more than one goal this season and lost nine games by multiple goals. Their overall puck line performance is 7-20.

The Devils recently hosted the Bruins and emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. On offense, the Devils did not find the net in the first or second period but scored one goal in the third period. All two goals came at even strength. They finished with 35 shots on goal and had 8 turnovers.

New Jersey couldn’t cover the puck line despite the straight-up win, as they entered the game as the favorites with a -1.5 goal advantage. The over/under line for the game was 6, and it concluded with a combined total of 3 goals.

The Columbus Blue Jackets Are Coming Off A Win

This season, the Blue Jackets currently hold an overall record of 10-16-5. When playing on the road, Columbus has a 3-8-3 record, while they are 7-8-2 at home. Their current record places them 8th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 15th in the Eastern conference. Columbus’ average scoring margin this season is -0.6 leading to an overall puck line record of 19-12. Their scoring margin at home is -0.2 and -1.1 on the road.

Facing the Maple Leafs in their last game, the Blue Jackets won by a score of 6-5. Scoring-wise, the Blue Jackets put up two goals during the first period and three times in the second period. Of Columbus’ six goals, one came while in power play. They ended the game with 35 shots on goal and had eight giveaways.

Going into the game, Columbus was the underdog, giving them a win vs. the puck line. The combined total of 11 goals exceeded the over/under line, which was set at 6.5 goals for the game.

New Jersey Offense Breakdown

Offensively, the Devils come into the game at 3.5 goals per contest placing 12th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are in 19th position in the league. The Devils went 10-5 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 5-5.

The Devils’ over/under record this season is 18-9-0. For the season, they have had 18 games that surpassed this game’s over/under line of 6.5. Overall, their games are averaging7 goals per game.

Columbus Offense Breakdown

The Blue Jackets come into the game scoring an average of 3 goals per game, putting them 14th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 12th in the league. In terms of power play goals, the Blue Jackets offense is 25th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they are 32nd in the NHL.

This season, the over/under record for the Blue Jackets’ is 18-13-0. Over the course of the season, they have had 18 games that exceeded the over/under line of 6.5. On average, their games are averaging 6.6 goals per game.

New Jersey Team Defense

The Devils’ defense comes into the game with a ranking of 15th in takeaways and an average of 7.1 takeaways per contest. They hold 28th place in the NHL for goals allowed, with an average of 3.2 goals given up per game.

Columbus Team Defense

Entering the game, the Blue Jackets’ defense ranks 14th in takeaways, averaging 6.4 takeaways per contest. In the NHL, they currently stand at 2nd in terms of goals allowed, giving up an average of 3.3 goals per game.

Devils vs Blue Jackets Trends

• Through their last three road contests, the Devils offense has averaged 2 goals per game while allowing an average of 2. New Jersey posted an overall record of 2-1 while going 1-2 ATS.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Columbus has an puck line record of 3-2 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
• Through their last five games as the betting underdog, the Blue Jackets have a strong record vs the puck line going 3-2. Their straight up mark in these contests is 2-3.
• In their last five contests as the favorite, New Jersey has a poor record vs the puck line going 1-4. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 4-1.

Devils vs Blue Jackets Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Blue Jackets to secure a victory over the Devils at home. With the moneyline currently set at +176, I’m locking in my bet on the Blue Jackets straight-up.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Blue Jackets winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Blue Jackets straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

For those looking at the over/under line set at 6.5 goals, our expectation is that this game will surpass that mark, and we suggest making a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are 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.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.