NHL Betting Picks: Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers

Added on Jan 19, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NHL

A pair of teams currently in last place in their respective divisions will matchup in Miami on Wednesday night as the Florida Panthers host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both teams have similar records–the Jackets are 21-20-5 for 47 points while the Panthers are 21-20-3 for 45 points. Both are coming into this game off a loss, with Columbus losing a tough shootout verdict to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers
January 19, 2011 4:35 PM Pacific

As the records of these teams suggest, this should be a fairly even matchup. Florida has been in better form, with a 5-3-2 record in their last 10 games. They’re coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to Atlanta on Monday night that ended a 3 game winning streak. Columbus is 3-5-2 in their last 10 games but only have 1 victory in their last 8 games. They’ve played fairly well most recently, with four straight one goal losses to tough competition (Detroit twice, Tampa Bay, Phoenix).

Generally, we like to bet on the Panthers–they’re a team with a strong work ethic that grinds for 60 minutes–but we’d much rather use them as underdogs against superior competition. They’re just 7-8 against opponents with losing records and 7-9 in non-conference competition. The Jackets, meanwhile, have a winning record against sub .500 opponents and have excelled in their games against the Eastern Conference with a 7-3 record. Jackets need a win and despite their overall good work ethic nothing comes easily for Florida on offense. Sometimes hockey betting boils down to taking the better price in an otherwise even matchup and that’s what we’re doing here. Jackets have played well in their visits to Florida historically winning 3 of 5. They’ve also won 3 straight in the series overall.

Bet Columbus Blue Jackets +120 over Florida Panthers