Columbus Blue Jackets vs Boston Bruins: the Bruins will handle the uncomfortable opponent

Columbus has beaten Boston in their last two consecutive head-to-head encounters. Will Bruce Cassidy's team be able to avoid another loss to the Jackets? Our prediction: this time the Bruins will be closer to success!

Columbus is an amazing team that has a very mediocre roster, but is getting gradually into the playoff contention. Previously, it seemed that it was the fault of the magnificent John Tortorella, who squeezed the maximum out of his charges, but now the Blue Jackets play great and under the leadership of Brad Larsen. They've been particularly strong since the end of January, when they suffered only two losses and had nine wins in 11 meetings. The Blue and Reds have won only once in their last four games but they are still sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a realistic chance of making the playoffs.

Boston, on the other hand, have accustomed us over the past decade of them making the playoffs without much trouble, and even from the highest spots. Now Bruce Cassidy's squad has performance problems, so they haven't secured anything so far. The Bruins looked particularly modest up until mid-January, when they suffered a string of defeats, but they finally pulled themselves together and made significant progress. In the last seven matches, the club from Massachusetts suffered only one defeat, while in six of them they were successful and occasionally defeated their opponents. Such a strong progression allowed Boston to climb up to seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.

During the regular NHL championships, the teams have played 32 face-offs, the Blue Jackets celebrating 14 wins, the Bruins being stronger in 18 games. The Black and Yellows also have an advantage in goal difference, 106-86. The last time the rivals met was in the 2019/20 season when both times the victory was celebrated by Columbus (2-1 and 3-0).

Surprisingly, Columbus and Boston are currently located very close to each other in the standings, although it is already the second half of the regular season. Nevertheless, the picture is gradually becoming more familiar as the Jackets have slowed down a bit, having lost in three of their last four games, while the Bruins have picked up good form, winning six of their previous seven matches. Of course, Bruce Cassidy's players are the clear favorites in the upcoming confrontation, and you can bet on Boston's victory with the odds of about 1.80.

Columbus has become a team that plays exclusively dull hockey on defense, but after Brad Larsen was appointed head coach, the situation changed dramatically. In 55 games the Jackets played, 382 pucks have already been scored (6.95 average per game), one of the highest totals in the league. Boston are moderately high-scoring too, which is why they've already had 314 goals (5.71 average per game) in 55 games they've played. On this basis, the optimal option to bet on seems to be Total Over (5.5) at odds close to 1.90.

This season, Boston is no longer a one-sided team, as the Bruins can now score in all combinations. For example, the day before the victory was brought to the club by the third three who earned a total of seven points: Trent Frederic made three assists, Craig Smith had a hat trick, and Charlie Coyle made one assist. The latter is the most consistent player in the lineup as he scored 27 points (12 goals + 15 assists) in 55 games. Thus, it is worth looking at a bet on Charlie Coyle's Total Over (0.5) for about 4.50.