Pittburgh Unlikely To See Playoffs But Hope Remains | Penguins vs Blue Jackets | OSB
Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus Blue Jackets
By Sam Batz
On Thursday, April 13th the Pittsburgh Penguins play their season-finale against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets (7:00 PM EST, NHLPP/ESPN+). Columbus is the worst team in the NHL in terms of record/points, and they have known for a long time that the playoffs were not in the cards this season. Pittsburgh on the other hand, has been fighting tooth and nail all season to stay relevant, and with a win and some help, the Penguins perseverance might pay off. Pittsburgh’s playoff chances are slim, but they aren’t out of it yet. Predictably, the Blue Jackets are the underdogs priced at +140, while the Penguins are favored at -175.
Pittsburgh Penguins Rooting For Montreal (ML -175)
The Penguins are 40-31-10 with 90 points through 81 games. They are 5th in the Metro Division and 9th in the Eastern Conference, but still have a chance to sneak into the final Wildcard spot. The New York Islanders (91 pts) are 8th in the East and lead the Penguins by a single point. If New York beats Montreal on Wednesday, 4/12, Pittsburgh will be eliminated from the playoffs. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Penguins have a 14% chance to see the postseason because even if the Islanders lose, Pittsburgh still needs to beat the Blue Jackets, who truly have nothing to lose, and will be looking to throw a wrench into the Penguins playoff plans.
Columbus Blue Jackets Playing For Last (ML +140)
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been scraping the bottom of the barrel all season. They are 24-47-9 with 57 points through 80 games. Thursday’s matchup with Pittsburgh is not Columbus’ season-finale, but as one of the worst teams in the league, it doesn’t really matter. At this point, Columbus is playing for the draft pick and is tanking the season. In their last 10 games, the Blue Jackets went 2-6-2 (6 pts), scored 20 goals, and allowed 50. They have a chance to spoil the Penguins postseason aspirations, but based on the season they’ve had, Columbus is not expected to win on Thursday.
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets Opening Odds
Team | Spread | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh Penguins | -1.5 (+130) | Ov 6.5 (-125) | -175 |
Columbus Blue Jackets | +1.5 (-165) | Un 6.5 (+100) | +140 |
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Penguins vs. Blue Jackets: Season Stats
Pittsburgh Penguins (40-31-10) 90 259 (15th) 260 (19th) -1 3.20 (16th) 3.21 (19th) 23-13-5 (56.1%) 17-18-5 (42.5%) | Stat Type Pts Total GF Total GA G Diff GF/GP GA/GP Home (Win-rate) Away (Win-rate) | Columbus Blue Jackets (24-47-9) 57 208 (30th) 322 (31st) -114 2.60 (30th) 4.03 (31st) 15-22-2 (38.5%) 9-25-7 (21.9%) |
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets: Betting Trends
Pittsburgh Penguins 36-45 23-17 (Away) 22-27 (vs. East) 37-42-2 4-5-1 35-15-7 (as Favorites) 12-5-2 (Favorites Away) | Betting Trend ATS (Season) ATS (Home/Away) ATS (Conference) O/U (Season) O/U (Last 10) ML (Favorite/Underdog) ML (Home/Away) | Columbus Blue Jackets 39-41 20-19 (Home) 21-27 (vs. East) 43-35-2 6-3-1 22-43-9 (as Underdogs) 13-19-2 (Underdogs Home) |
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets: Game Changers
Pittsburgh Penguins
- Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 91 points (33 goals, 58 assists) and has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) against the Blue Jackets this season
- Tristan Jarry is expected to get the start in goal, he has played 46 games and is 24-13-6 (T-15th) and averages 2.90 GA/G (23rd)
- 25 different players have scored at least 1 goals for Pittsburgh, 9 players have 10+ goals, 6 players have 20+ goals, and 2 players (Sidney Crosby & Jake Guentzel) have 30+ goals
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets with 72 points (19 goals, 53 assists) and averaged 0.70 points per game (2 goals, 5 assists) in his last 10
- Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, and Kirill Marchenko have all scored 20+ goals for Columbus, combining for 69 scores (33.2% of the teams total)
- Columbus has gone through 6 Goaltenders this season, and after all the trades and injuries, it’s unclear who will start between the sticks on Thursday
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets Prediction
Take the Pittsburgh Penguins to win on Thursday. Even if the New York Islanders win, and the Penguins are eliminated from the postseason, I’m confident Pittsburgh will beat the Blue Jackets regardless of the situation. Columbus is a struggling franchise who have yet to win a Stanley Cup and are missing the playoffs for the third straight season. The Blue Jackets play terrible defense and cycle through Goalies faster than a semi-pro team. The Penguins are 3-0-0 against Columbus and average 5.0 goals per game, which should be enough to secure the win in their season-finale.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins Moneyline (-175) and the Over (6.5)
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