Blue Jackets vs Devils

Jack Hughes and the Devils come into this one laying -155 at home against a Blue Jackets group that has dropped three of its last four, including a 5-1 loss in Washington and a collapse from 3-1 up against Pittsburgh, with Columbus now 0-1-3 in its past four decided after blowing third-period leads. New Jersey just had its 10-game home point streak (9-0-1) snapped by Philadelphia but is still 16-8-1 overall and 9-1-1 at the Rock, and the current roster is relatively healthy at the top of the lineup, with Boone Jenner and Mathieu Olivier sidelined for Columbus while the Devils have recently welcomed back forwards like Cody Glass and Connor Brown from injured reserve. Recent head-to-head form leans strongly toward New Jersey: since March, the Devils have taken three straight from the Jackets, 5-3 and 2-1 last season and 3-2 in Columbus on October 13, with Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer repeatedly driving the scoring while Columbus leans heavily on Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski. We’re still short of the 41-game midpoint, so it’s not a pure playoff-position game yet, but these points matter more for a Devils team chasing the top of the Metro than for a Jackets side just trying to stabilize and stop coughing up leads. With a clear edge in recent form, special teams and overall talent, I rate New Jersey’s true win probability a bit north of the implied 60% at -155, which makes backing the Devils moneyline an A- play on a combination of strong likelihood and solid, if not massive, value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/12/2025 09:23am

The total is 6 with the Over at -105, and the profile of this matchup leans modestly toward goals: Columbus has allowed 5 and 4 goals in its last two while still finding the net three times in each, and the Devils have been generating steady offense at home, scoring at least three in most of their 9-1-1 run in Newark before the Flyers finally handed them a 5-3 home loss. Columbus’ blue line and goaltending tandem of Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves have struggled to protect leads, and their penalty kill has been exposed by New Jersey’s power play across three recent meetings where Meier, Mercer and Bratt all struck, while the Jackets’ own scoring depth beyond Marchenko takes a hit with captain Jenner still on injured reserve. At the same time, New Jersey’s goaltending duo (Allen and Markstrom) is strong enough, and Columbus’ forward injuries significant enough, that a 4-2 type result is very live, which is why I’m not treating this as a premium edge. Overall, the combination of Columbus’ late-game leakiness, the Devils’ top-six firepower and special-teams edge and the Jackets’ tendency to play open, high-event third periods nudges me to the Over 6 at -105, but with enough paths to a 3-2 or 4-2 finish that it grades only as a B in confidence and value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/12/2025 09:23am

For the puckline, the matchup shape points me toward Columbus +1.5 at -205 rather than laying -1.5 with New Jersey at a shorter price, even while I expect the Devils to win the game. The Jackets have become specialists in one-goal and overtime finishes, with eight of Jet Greaves’ last nine starts going past regulation and Columbus 0-1-3 in its recent stretch of blown third-period leads, which is exactly the kind of profile that cashes +1.5 tickets even when the underdog keeps losing straight up. Head-to-head, two of the last three meetings have finished as one-goal Devils wins (3-2 and 2-1), with only a 5-3 result in March clearing this puckline, and Columbus’ roster—despite missing Jenner and Olivier—still has enough scoring through Marchenko, Werenski and secondary pieces like Sean Monahan and Dmitri Voronkov to keep games within a single bounce. On the other side, New Jersey’s strong top end and deep defense suggest another territorial edge and likely win, but their willingness to roll three goalies and manage minutes in a long homestand, combined with Columbus’ habit of hanging around, makes a multi-goal blowout slightly less frequent than the market implies at this price. I project a large share of outcomes in the 3-2 or 4-3 Devils range, so taking Blue Jackets +1.5 (-205) earns a B+ grade: high hit rate with limited but steady return. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/12/2025 09:23am