Devils vs. Blue Jackets prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

It is about that time to take an exclusive look at our NHL odds series where our Devils-Blue Jackets prediction and pick will be made.

Hockey night in America will be highly anticipated on Friday around the NHL including a matchup between the New Jersey Devils and the Columbus Blue Jackets! It is about that time once again to take an exclusive look at our NHL odds series where our Devils-Blue Jackets prediction and pick will be made.

The Devils enter play with a 22-17-3 record including a 13-7-1 mark away from home. Most recently, New Jersey has happened to drop back-to-back games, so getting back on track in the win column will be an absolute must. When taking a look at the bigger picture, New Jersey has lost four of their last five games and are more than parched to start winning more consistently.

On the other side of things, there have certainly been brighter days in Columbus in terms of their hockey team, the Blue Jackets at least mustered up a dramatic shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 4-3. Can Columbus start stringing together some ‘dubs before time runs out in the regular season?

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Devils-Blue Jackets Odds

New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+142)

Moneyline: -164

Columbus Blue Jackets: +1.5 (-176)

Moneyline: +136

Over: 6.5 (-120)

Under: 6.5 (-102)

How to Watch Devils vs. Blue Jackets

Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT

TV: ESPN+

Why The Devils Will Cover The Spread/Win

Despite being on the losing end of things more often than not as of late, it is safe to say that the Devils' offensive attack has been the least of their concerns. As a whole, New Jersey is averaging 3.43 goals per game and have scored four or more goals in six of the last ten games played. All in all, of the Devils are given some clean looks in the crease, don't be surprised if New Jersey is able to find the back of the net at a feverish rate. Obviously enough, this is the one area of expertise where the Devils could make life extremely difficult for the Blue Jackets. Before one could even blink, the continued success on the offensive end of the ice may be all she wrote for Columbus' chances to cover the spread at home.

However, it will prove to be all for not if New Jersey's lack of effective goaltending continues to come into the fold like it has over the past few weeks. As it stands, the Devils rank 28th in the league in goals allowed per game. On top of that, starting netminder Vitek Vanacek does happen to boast a rock-solid 14-7-2 record, but this lackluster .882 save percentage stage leaves much to be desired. If New Jersey does want to cover the spread easily on Friday night to kick off their weekend, then Vanacek will need to stand on his head in between the pipes.

Why The Blue Jackets Will Cover The Spread/Win

Although Columbus was able to get the losing monkey off their backs en route to snapping a three-game losing streak, this is a team that needs to start making some noise in a vital way. For starters, the offense has been lousy and the defense/goaltending could be one of the worst in the league. Simply put, this is not an ideal one-two punch if Columbus has aspirations of covering the spread, but all it takes is some lucky bounces of the puck and the Blue Jackets could find themselves in a good position.

Without a doubt, scoring goals will be the name of the game in this one, but let's not pretend that the key to success for Columbus will be finding ways to play suffocating defense in a physical manner. This has eluded Columbus all year long as they've allowed an unfathomable 19 goals over the span of their last four games. Of course, the Blue Jackets will need to dominate the time of attack and keep the puck in the Devils zone for most of the night in order to ensure a much-improved defensive effort.

If there's one name to keep an eye out for, then look no further than Johnny Hockey AKA Johnny Gaudreau to blow the roof off of Nationwide Arena, then he will end up being the man with a plan. As a whole, Gaudreau leads the team with 28 points and is fresh off of recording a pair of assists in the victory.

Final Devils-Blue Jackets Prediction & Pick

Undoubtedly, both of these teams need a victory in the win column more than ever. However, only one side will come out on top and that will be the Devils. When taking a deep dive at the numbers, it appears that New Jersey is the more trustworthy group at this moment of time.

Final Devils-Blue Jackets Prediction & Pick: Devils -1.5 (+142)