Columbus Blue Jackets - New Jersey Devils predictions and free betting tips [20/01/2024]

An NHL regular championship match between teams from the lower half of the league table is set to kick off. Avid fans of late-night ice hockey are in for a clash between "Columbus" and "New Jersey".

"Columbus"

"Columbus" ice hockey players have taken part in 44 official matches of the regular NHL championship for the 2023-2024 seasons. "Columbus" has 44 matches under its belt and 37 points collected, taking them to the 15th position in the Eastern Conference standings. "Columbus" hasn't had the best run throughout the ongoing regular championship season, ranking 15th in the Eastern Conference and leading only the "Ottawa" ice hockey players. The main problem for "Columbus" is their failing defensive game which has influenced their performance through the 2023-2024 season.

The "Blue Jackets" are the highest conceding team in the Eastern Conference at the moment, having allowed adversaries to score against them 165 times while scoring 134 goals themselves. "Ottawa" players, despite gathering 5 points fewer and trailing at the end of the Eastern Conference table, have conceded fewer than "Columbus". "Columbus" makes goals at par with the leading teams and for this statistic, it sneak into the top 8. In recent matches, "Columbus" almost always concedes defeat, having incurred 3 consecutive losses. The match against "Vancouver" concluded successfully for "Columbus", securing a victory in the series of penalty shots.

"New Jersey"

The New Jersey club has played 42 official matches in the NHL regular championship for the 2023-2024 seasons. The "New Jersey" ice hockey players have amassed 47 points in the 42 matches, holding a 14th place position in the Eastern Conference league table. "New Jersey" has yielded mediocre results and falls short of the Stanley Cup playoffs bracket. At present, "New Jersey" ranks in the 12th position, trailing "Tampa" by 4 points, a considerable difference given the density of competition in the Eastern Conference league table.

"New Jersey" was once on the cusp of making it to the Stanley Cup playoffs and was a confident club. However, now the "devils" are remarkably weak, with their performance largely hinging on the team's mood. The slump started only recently, but it has already knocked the "devils" out of the top-8. Lately, "New Jersey" has shown a weak performance clinching only one victory in five matches. The losses were against "Montreal", "Boston", "Tampa", and "Vancouver". The last notable victory, obtained over "Florida", was some time ago.

Head-to-Head Meetings

"Columbus" and "New Jersey" have faced off in 42 matches. "Columbus" pulled off 25 victories, while "New Jersey" proved stronger in 17 encounters.

Total Bet Prediction

"Columbus" is expected to have an ITO (Individual Total Over) of 4 goals.

Prediction

"Columbus" will win in regular time. Both teams have been underperforming in their recent matches and losing in the majority of their face-offs, but "Columbus" seems to have a better footing, considering that the "Blue Jackets" could perform against "Vancouver" - the current leader of the Western Conference, who lost in the post-match throws series.