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The St. Louis Blues (13-11-1) take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (8-15-5) at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. ET.
Fans can tune in to BSOH, BSMW and ESPN+ to witness the game, with Columbus hoping to end a three-game losing streak and St. Louis aiming to recover from a 6-3 home defeat against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
St. Louis Blues vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Game Preview
The Columbus Blue Jackets are on a two-game losing streak, with their offense falling short in recent performances. In their matchup against the Boston Bruins, they suffered a 3-1 defeat, and in the last game against the LA Kings, despite pushing the contest to overtime, they ultimately lost 4-3.
With an average of 2.85 goals scored and a defense allowing 3.16 goals per game, the Blue Jackets are ranked 22nd in offense, emphasizing the need for an offensive boost.
Notably, Zach Werenski has contributed one goal and 18 assists this season. Positioned at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, Columbus trails the Pittsburgh Penguins by four points, accumulating a total of 21.
Conversely, the Blues faced significant challenges in their recent matchup against the Golden Knights, surrendering six goals. Despite a three-goal contribution from the offense, the game ended with a noticeable 6-3 gap.
Currently, the Blues have an average of 2.88 goals per game, while their defense allows 3.16 goals per game. With an offensive ranking of 22nd and a defensive ranking of 15th in the NHL league, the upcoming game calls for a substantial defensive improvement.
Robert Thomas has been a standout for St. Louis with eight goals and 17 assists.
St. Louis Blues vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Head-to-head and key numbers
- The Blue Jackets and the Blues faced off in 91 games. The Blue Jackets hold an overall record of 33-50-3-5 (37.9%) against the Blues.
- The Blue Jackets are on a two-game losing streak against the Blues.
- The longest winning streak the Blue Jackets have had over the Blues is four games, commencing with a 4-1 win on March 25, 2007, and extending until Nov. 4, 2007.
- The Blues have allowed 79 goals (3.2 per game), ranking 17th in the league for goals against. In contrast, the Blue Jackets give up an average of 3.5 goals per game, totaling 98 goals, placing them at 30th in the league.
- In league play, the Blues rank 25th with 72 goals scored (2.9 per game). With 80 goals (2.9 per game), the Blue Jackets have the league's 15th-ranked offense.
St. Louis Blues vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Odds and Prediction
St. Louis holds a 4-3 record when favored by oddsmakers in the current season. Within the subset of games where the Blues were favorites with odds shorter than -130, they managed to secure a victory in one out of two instances.
The odds imply a 56.5% likelihood of St. Louis emerging victorious in the upcoming game.
On the other hand, the Columbus Blue Jackets have been cast as the underdog 24 times this season, pulling off an upset in seven of those matchups. In 22 games where Columbus played as the underdog with odds of +109 or longer, it has a 7-15 record.
The projected chance for the Blue Jackets to win this game stands at 47.8%.
St. Louis Blues vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Betting tips
Tip 1: Result: St. Louis Blues to win
Tip 2: Total goals over 5: Yes
Tip 3: Columbus Blue Jackets to beat the spread: Yes
