Blue Jackets vs. Islanders Pick

New York Islanders (37-27-8) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (22-41-7)
March 24, 2023 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Columbus Blue Jackets +170 / New York Islanders -200; Over/Under: +6
(Get latest betting odds)

The New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets meet in NHL action from the Nationwide Arena on Friday night. Let’s dive into the odds, injuries, matchup history and make a prediction for this game.

Odds

New York is listed as a -200 road favorite while Columbus is a +170 home underdog. The total for this game is set at 6 goals.

Injuries

For New York, Brock Nelson is probable for this game with an undisclosed injury while Josh Bailey and Sebastian Aho are both questionable for this game. For Columbus, Sean Kuraly and Elvis Merzlikins are both probable for this game.

Matchup History

New York’s 2-1 win back on December 29, 2022, made it six straight wins for the Islanders in this head-to-head matchup.

Trends

New York is 6-2 in their last 8 games overall and 5-2 in their last 7 road games while the over is 3-0-1 in their last 4 division games. Columbus is 15-37 in their last 52 games overall and 3-9 in their last 12 home games while the over is 7-1 in their last 8 games overall.

Pick

I’m backing the Islanders in this one. Columbus has played their better hockey at home, but the Blue Jackets are still the worst team in the league and have nothing of any real consequence to play for here. The Islanders are still fighting for a playoff spot here and have the edge pretty much across the board here so I’ll back the Islanders in this one.