Blue Jackets vs Kings Prediction NHL Picks 2/20/24

Los Angeles Kings (27-16-10) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (17-26-10)

Game Info: Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 10:30 pm (Crypto.com Arena)

Betting Odds: Los Angeles Kings -244 / Columbus Blue Jackets +190 --- Over/Under: 6.5

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings meet in NHL action from the Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night. Who comes out on top in this inter-conference matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Blue Jackets vs. Kings Prediction.

Columbus Blue Jackets Team Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this game looking to build on a 4-3 win over San Jose last time out. Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets with 37 points including 30 assists while Zach Werenski has 31 points with a team-high 29 assists. Kirill Marchenko has 28 points with a team-high 16 goals and Adam Fantilli has 27 points with 12 goals and 15 assists. Elvis Merzlikins has gone 10-11-7 in goal for Columbus with a 3.21 GAA and a .904 save percentage while Daniil Tarasov is 3-6-2 with a 3.91 GAA and an .877 save percentage this season. The Blue Jackets will take on the Ducks, Sabres, and Rangers after this one.

Columbus Blue Jackets Team Facts

• The Blue Jackets have lost 15 of their last 16 night games following a road win.
• The Blue Jackets have covered the puck line in five of their last six games as underdogs against the Kings.
• The Blue Jackets have lost the third period in 17 of their last 21 games against opponents on a winning streak.
• The 'Over 2.5 Goals Period 1' market has hit in three of the Blue Jackets' last four games against Pacific Division opponents.

Los Angeles Kings Team Preview

The Los Angeles Kings come into this one looking to build on their three-game win streak after a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh last time out. Adrian Kempe leads the Kings in scoring with 47 points with 19 goals and 28 assists while Kevin Fiala has 43 points with 13 goals and 30 assists. Anze Kopitar has 45 points with 17 goals and 27 assists while Trevor Moore has 36 points with a team-high 21 goals. Quinton Byfield also has 40 points with 17 goals and 23 assists. Cam Talbot has posted a 15-13-5 mark in goal for the Kings this season with a 2.58 GAA and a .911 save percentage while David Rittich is 8-2-3 with a 2.25 GAA and a .919 save percentage as well this season.

Los Angeles Kings Team Facts

• The underdogs have won seven of the Kings' last eight games at Crypto.com Arena.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Kings' last eight games at Crypto.com Arena.
• The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 2' market has hit in each of the Kings' last 10 home games.
• The underdogs have won the second period in seven of the Kings' last eight games at Crypto.com Arena.

Blue Jackets vs. Kings Prediction

I get the case to be made for the Kings at home, but it’s not like the Kings have been blowing anybody away at home and they still don’t have the best record at home anyways as a lot of their recent wins have come on the road as has been the case for much of the year. Columbus has a pretty good puck line record on the road and I think this is a spot where they could be competitive so I’ll side with Columbus +1.5 here.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.