Penguins vs Blue Jackets Hockey Odds
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets will head back to Nationwide Arena following Pittsburgh’s 3-1 win on its home ice in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. The teams have alternated wins and losses through the first five games of the series, which would put Columbus on track for a win in this one.
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First-round Game 6
PIT leads series 3-2
Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2) at Columbus Blue Jackets (2-3)
Date: Monday, April 28, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Nationwide Arena
City: Columbus, Ohio
O/U Odds: 5.5
Money Line: Pittsburgh -135, Columbus +126
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Entering this series, many thought this series would come down to whether or not Sergei Bobrovsky could steal some games for the Blue Jackets, but that certainly isn’t the way this series has played out.
Instead, the Penguins haven’t had much trouble scoring the puck, averaging 3.4 goals per contest, scoring no fewer than three goals in any game in the series, yet the Blue Jackets remain in the mix.
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The Jackets have been able to keep up on the scoreboard for the most part, scoring four goals in each of their two wins. Ryan Johansen’s breakout regular season has carried over into the playoffs, as he has two goals and four assists through five games.
It isn’t surprising that the Penguins have had little trouble scoring the puck, but it is surprising how productive their blue line has been, and not necessarily the names you would think of.
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Paul Martin leads all scorers in the series with eight points, all of them assists, and Matt Niskanen is second in team scoring with two goals and four assists for six points.
The Blue Jackets have also gotten some production from an unlikely source on the blue line. Jack Johnson has three goals and a pair of assists for five points through five games.
The Blue Jackets are clearly overmatched in this series.
After scoring the first goal in Game 5, the team sat back and did all they could to keep the Penguins from finding the back of the net, and even that wasn’t enough to slow an always potent Penguins attack. Even competent goaltending from Fleury is enough for the Penguins to rack up wins in this series.
With that being said, Fleury won’t have the advantage of a favorable home crowd in this one, and the Blue Jackets likely won’t be put in a position where they’ll be content to sit back on a lead in this one, so goals likely won’t be at a premium in this one.
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The Penguins are 9-2 in the last 11 meetings between these teams, and 6-1 in the last seven meetings between these teams overall.
The over is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings between these teams in Columbus, and 4-1 in the last five meetings overall.
The over is 19-7-2 in the Penguins’ last 28 conference quarterfinal games.
The play: Pittsburgh -135, Over 5.5
