The Pittsburgh Penguins (6-10-3) travel to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets (5-8-2) on Friday, November 15th. This game will be played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus and televised on NHLN. The Penguins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Blue Jackets are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Capitals. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Penguins vs Blue Jackets

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

Pittsburgh improved to 6-10-3 with a 3-1 win over the Canadiens. The Penguins covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 goal line.

Sidney Crosby scored twice for the Penguins, with his second goal coming at 1:20 in the second period. The Canadiens cut the lead to 2-1 in the third, but Blake Lizotte’s empty-net goal at 19:15 sealed the win for Pittsburgh.

The Columbus Blue Jackets Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Columbus fell to 5-8-2 with a 7-2 loss to the Capitals. The Blue Jackets, as the underdog on the puck line, couldn’t cover, and the total of 9 goals easily surpassed the pre-game line of 6.5.

Defensively, Columbus struggled from the start, allowing five goals in the first period. Damon Severson and Kevin Labanc each scored for the Blue Jackets, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby found the net twice in the Penguins’ 3-1 win over Montreal, including his 4th and 5th goals of the season. He opened the scoring at 4:03 in the first period and added a power-play goal at 1:20 in the second. Blake Lizotte chipped in with his 2nd goal, an empty-netter at 19:15 in the third period.

Pittsburgh recorded 24 shots on goal and had 14 giveaways. Lars Eller picked up his 3rd assist on Lizotte’s empty-netter, while Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson were credited with assists on Crosby’s power-play goal, giving them 3 and 7 assists on the season, respectively.

Blue Jackets Offense Breakdown

The Blue Jackets fired 36 shots on goal but only managed to score twice in their 7-2 loss to the Capitals. Damon Severson netted his fourth goal of the season, while Kevin Labanc added his second. Sean Monahan picked up his fifth assist on Labanc’s goal, and Zach Aston-Reese earned his second assist of the season.

Columbus was held scoreless in the first period before Severson got them on the board at the 19:11 mark of the second. Labanc followed with a goal at 5:24 in the second period. The Blue Jackets had 13 giveaways in the game.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build off their previous game, where they allowed just one goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves with a 96.2% save percentage, while the defense added 5 takeaways and 19 hits. The only goal they gave up came at 5:32 in the 3rd period.

Columbus Team Defense

Columbus’s defense struggled early, conceding five goals in the first period. Despite narrowing the score to 6-2, they allowed another goal late in the third. Goalie Daniil Tarasov made 15 saves with a 68.2% save percentage, while the defense added 10 takeaways and 17 hits.

Penguins vs Blue Jackets Trends

• In their last three road games, Pittsburgh has averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 3. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 2-1.
• The Blue Jackets are 2-1 puck line in their last three home games and 2-1 straight-up.
• The last five games that Columbus was the underdog, they have an puck line mark of 0-5 while going 0-5 straight up.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Penguins have a straight up record of 4-1, while going 2-3 against the spread.

Penguins vs Blue Jackets Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Blue Jackets to secure a victory over the Penguins at home. With the moneyline currently set at +109, 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.

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.

---

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

---

* 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.