Contrasting Styles
The Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders square off for the second time in three days on Thursday night for an interesting matchup in the NHL lines. Columbus plays games at a very fast pace while New York loves to slow things down.
The Blue Jackets have racked up just 69 points and have also lost four straight games. New York has picked up just 67 points, but the Islanders have actually been trending in the right direction.
The NHL betting lines for this game have the New York Islanders as the moneyline betting favorites at -190.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and NHL odds for Blue Jackets vs Islanders. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Columbus Can’t Get Stops
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been a solid offensive team and they actually had 45 shots on goal in Tuesday’s 4-3 home loss to New York. Columbus is averaging 3.2 goals per game and loves to push the tempo on both ends of the ice.
Patrik Laine leads the team with 25 goals and 51 total points, and he looks extremely comfortable in Columbus. The Blue Jackets still struggle on the power play, but they don’t have trouble scoring at even strength.
Goaltending continues to be an area of concern for Columbus, which is giving up 3.7 goals per game. This is a trend that has to stop if the Blue Jackets want to turn things around in the future.
No Rushing New York
New York is scoring just 2.7 goals per game and is holding teams to right around that number. The Islanders are a team that is never in a rush on either end, and that strategy has allowed them to frustrate the Blue Jackets in recent meetings.
Head coach Barry Trotz was not happy with the most recent effort from New York, saying, “Thought in the third period, we just sat back, we just didn’t play.” New York is not a team that can afford to take a period off, especially when they can’t score.
Center Brock Nelson leads the team with 32 goals and 48 points, and Mathew Barzal has registered a team-high 32 assists. Both players have the ability to take over on offense, but New York just doesn’t always look to score.
The Islanders continue to lean on goaltender Ilya Sorokin and he continues to deliver, going 22-14-7 in net.
Blue Jackets vs Islanders Head-to-Head
This will be the third matchup of the season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders. The first meeting of the season took place earlier in March, and that was a 6-0 win by New York.
Blue Jackets vs Islanders Game Information
- Game: Blue Jackets (32-30-5) vs Islanders (29-27-9)
- Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
- Day/Time: Thursday, March 31st, 7 p.m. ET
- Live stream: NHL.TV
Blue Jackets vs Islanders Betting Lines
Blue Jackets vs Islanders Prediction
These two teams play very contrasting styles of hockey, and that will make betting online for this matchup hard to predict. Columbus will do all it can to speed up the tempo, but that’s hard to do against this Islanders team.
The Blue Jackets are not playing their best hockey and that’s also going to come into play. It’s always difficult to find some offense for the Islanders, but New York should be able to find some holes.
Head to BetUS Sportsbook and bet on the New York Islanders -190 over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
