Look For Columbus To Pay Off In NHL Betting vs Rangers

The Metropolitan Division delivered one of the tightest battles that we have seen in a while last season, and it was the New York Rangers who came out on top. The Broadway Blueshirts also nabbed the President’s Trophy for the best overall record, but were extremely fortunate to make it to the Eastern Conference Final, where they lost to Tampa. They will hope to repeat as division champions this NHL betting season and will start their defense on the road in Columbus on Friday night.

Rangers @ Blue Jackets: NHL Betting Game Preview

Date: Friday, October 9th, 2015 Time: 7:00PM Venue: Nationwide Arena Opening Line: Columbus +150

W2W4: #NYR play front end of home & home with Blue Jackets in Columbus; here’s your primer http://t.co/jUyhg83N0V pic.twitter.com/Q9bTUo5yXx
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 9, 2015

It should be made clear from the get go that this is not the same Rangers team that had the best record in hockey last season. A number of key players from that team are gone, with the biggest loss perhaps being Cam Talbot, who will be between the pipes in Edmonton this year. There is some question as to whether or not the Rangers have properly addressed the gaps left by those players who are now elsewhere, and the general consensus is that they have not. The Rangers still have enough talent and depth to make it to the playoff, but asking them to repeat as division winners seems like a little much. The Metropolitan Division once again promises to be incredibly tough, and there are a couple of teams who I believe have more to offer than the Rangers.

One of those teams may well be the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was an awful season for them last year, as injuries made it impossible for them to put out their best skaters every single night. This is a team that is skillful, but which can also throw its weight around when needed, which may well be regularly in this division. Columbus made one of the savviest moves in the offseason by acquiring Brandon Saad from the Chicago Blackhawks. This kid is just 22 years old, and comes with a ton of upside. If he slots into this team as well as I think he can, the Columbus Blue Jackets may well be one of the biggest dark horses in the NHL this coming season.

Key Betting Trends

NY Rangers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 5 games on the road NY Rangers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Columbus The total has gone OVER in 6 of NY Rangers’s last 8 games when playing Columbus NY Rangers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus Columbus is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus’s last 6 games Columbus is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home The total has gone OVER in 11 of Columbus’s last 16 games at home Columbus is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Rangers

Consider This Before Placing Your Bets

There are a lot of great match-ups over the first few nights of the season, and this one certainly ranks up there. I like Columbus to show their intent with a home ice win against the Rangers.