Bruins vs. Blue Jackets Game 3 Prediction: NHL Playoffs Betting Odds
The Bruins and Blue Jackets split two regular-season meetings in Columbus, each a blowout. On the updated Sports Interaction series line, the Bruins are -139 and Blue Jackets +110. The favoured exact result is Boston in seven at +301. You can also bet the total number of goals in the series, set at 31.5, with both at -120. There have been 10 so far.
Bruins vs Blue Jackets Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Analysis
Rather unusually, Columbus had better road record (25-14-2) than at home (22-17-2) during the regular season. Sergei Bobrovsky was 18-13-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .907 save percentage at home. The Jackets dominated the Lightning during the first round in the two games at Nationwide Arena, winning 3-1 and 7-3 against the NHL’s best team.
Boston was much better at home (29-9-3) than on the road (20-15-6) during the season. Tuukka Rask was 12-7-3 with a 2.65 GAA and .912 SV on the road. The Bruins lost their first game in Toronto in the first round but won the next two 6-4 and 4-2.
Boston Bruins
After winning Game 1 3-2 in overtime, the Bruins lost Game 2 by the same score, albeit in double overtime. Boston led 1-0 at 7:50 of the first on Matt Grzelcyk’s first goal of the playoffs, coming on the power play, and again 2-1 at 2:01 of the second on David Pastrnak’s third goal of the playoffs, but Rask couldn’t hold it. He allowed three goals on 41 shots and is 6-3 with a 2.24 GAA and .927 SV in this postseason.
Patrice Bergeron took a costly penalty during the second OT that directly led to Matt Duchene’s winning goal. David Krejci was a game-time call with an upper-body injury suffered in Game 1 but played and had an assist in 21:28. The Bruins are 4-1 in their past five road games.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus got two regulation goals from Artemi Panarin, one on the power play, and then Duchene’s winner, also on the power play, at 3:42 of double overtime. That was the only time the Blue Jackets led. Duchene was one of four trade deadline acquisitions this season but the only one who played in Game 2.
Columbus has now has scored at least one power-play goal in five of six postseason games. Cam Atkinson and defencemen Seth Jones each had two assists in Game 2. Jones played a whopping 38:01. Bobrovsky stopped 29 of 31 shots to improve to 5-1 with a 2.02 GAA and .930 SV in these playoffs. Columbus is 7-1 in its past eight home games.
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