The New Jersey Devils (21-10-3) travel to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets (12-15-5) on Thursday, December 19th. This game will be played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus and televised on ESPN+. Both the Devils and Blue Jackets will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 ET.

Devils vs Blue Jackets

The New Jersey Devils Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

New Jersey dropped to 21-10-3 after a 3-0 road loss to the Flames. The Devils were favored on the puck line, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 3 fell well short of that mark.

All of the scoring took place in the third period. The Devils struggled offensively, managing just 22 shots on goal and committing 19 giveaways.

The Columbus Blue Jackets Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Columbus dropped to 12-15-5 with a 7-2 loss to the Capitals. The Blue Jackets’ defense struggled right from the start, giving up their first goal just 56 seconds into the game and allowing five goals in the opening period.

The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined 9 goals easily surpassed that mark. Columbus, as underdogs on the puck line, failed to cover. They scored their first goal 49 seconds into the second period, but by then, the Capitals had already netted five.

New Jersey Offense Breakdown

New Jersey’s offense was shut out in their 3-0 loss to Calgary, managing 22 shots on goal but failing to find the back of the net. The Devils had 19 giveaways in the game.

New Jersey was held scoreless through all three periods, including a 0-0 tie heading into the third. The Devils were blanked for the first time this season.

Blue Jackets Offense Breakdown

Columbus took 36 shots on goal but only managed to score twice in their 7-2 loss to Washington. Damon Severson netted his fourth goal of the season, while Kevin Labanc added his second. The Blue Jackets were held scoreless in the first period before Severson scored 49 seconds into the second, and Labanc followed with a goal at the 5:24 mark.

Sean Monahan picked up his fifth assist of the season on Labanc’s goal, and Zach Aston-Reese recorded his second assist. Columbus had 13 giveaways in the game.

New Jersey Team Defense

Defensively, the Devils held firm through two periods, but they couldn’t stop the Flames in the third, giving up three goals, including an empty-netter. New Jersey’s defense finished with 5 takeaways and 22 hits.

Columbus Team Defense

Defensively, Columbus allowed the first goal just 56 seconds into the game and gave up five in the first period. They also allowed goals at 4:51 in the second and 18:34 in the third. Goalie Daniil Tarasov finished with a 68.2% save percentage on 22 shots from Washington.

Devils vs Blue Jackets Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Devils have a straight up record of 8-2 while going 5-5 vs. the spread. The team averaged 3 goals per game in this stretch.
• When looking at their past three home matchups, Columbus has an puck line record of 1-2 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.
• Going back to their last three games as the underdog, the Blue Jackets have a straight up record of 0-3. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 1-2.
• In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Devils have a strong straight up record of 3-0. In addition, their puck line record was 3-0 in these scenarios.

Devils vs Blue Jackets Prediction

For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Blue Jackets to pick up on a win over the Devils at home. With the moneyline sitting at +183, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Blue Jackets straight-up.

Our projections have the Blue Jackets pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Blue Jackets, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering 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.