NHL betting free picks: Columbus @ Chicago
Added on Jan 14, 2010 by Jack Thurman in
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A big card of action in hockey tonight gives us a lot of different NHL betting opportunities to work with. The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the top teams in the league all season but they now find themselves in second place in the Western Conference and the overall NHL standings with 66 points, 1 behind San Jose. The President’s Trophy for the best overall record is obviously a secondary concern to the Conference Title–which guarantees home ice advantage through the playoffs–but in terms of their position in the league standings the Blackhawks are now one point ahead of Eastern Conference leader New Jersey. The Blue Jackets are spinning their wheels near the bottom of the Western Conference but they’re far from dead just 5 points out of the final playoff spot.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Chicago Blackhawks
January 14, 5:35 PM
Chicago is a huge favorite in this game at -300 and deservedly so. They’re 20-5 at home while the Jackets are 8-18 on the road. We’ve discussed the Blackhawks on a number of occasions in this space. They started the season winning with defense, and they’re still neck and neck with the New Jersey Devils for best goals against average in the NHL (2.13 per game). As the season has progressed, they’ve started to improve offensively and at this point they’re really the ‘total package’ for a NHL hockey team. They can score goals and keep the other team from scoring and that’s a dangerous combination. The Blackhawks now rank #2 in goals per game average, and a team that ranks that high offensively *and* defensively is going to go far in the playoffs.
The Blue Jackets are essentially a diametric opposite of the Blackhawks, ranking near the bottom of both goals for per game and goals against per game. They’ve only gone Over in 19 of their 46 games this year (26 UN, 1 push). As we’ve so often stressed, however, in handicapping NHL totals ‘styles make fights’ or in this case hockey games. Columbus has gone Over in 17 of 26 on the road, not surprising for a team that struggles to win away from home. Most significantly, 11 of the last 15 head to head and 6 of 8 at the United Center have gone Over the total. The teams have met once already this year, with the Blackhawks winning 4-3 at home. Another 7 goal game is likely here, and with the Blackhawks offense clicking on all cylinders we could see even more goals scored here.
Bet Columbus/Chicago Over 5′ -120
