Welcome back to NHL Predictions, January 29th edition! Each day, the Last Word on Hockey team will break down every game and give our NHL predictions for each game. There is only one game on today’s slate. The game sees the Columbus Blue Jackets travel to face the Chicago Blackhawks at 8 PM EST.
NHL Predictions
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Head-to-Head: Blue Jackets 0-0 Blackhawks
This is both teams first time meeting this season. The Blackhawks are sitting just outside the playoffs in 5th place with a 2-3-3 record through eight games. The Blue Jackets are currently sitting at the top of the division with a record of 3-2-3 through eight games played.
Blackhawks Preview
The Blackhawks are going into this game coming off of a road trip to Nashville. While there they picked up two of four possible points in back-to-back overtime/shootout losses. Their strongest asset has been between the pipes. The goaltending is lead by rookie Kevin Lankinen and Malcolm Subban. Lankinen has been the team’s best goalie through his four games with the team this season. He’s gone 2-0-2 and posted a .931 save percentage with a 2.18 goals-against average. Subban has lacked in the stats department but has looked strong technically through his two starts.
The defence, so far, has lacked the needed consistency required to bring the team to the next level. Guys like Connor Murphy and Nikita Zadorov have been playing fine, but not good enough for the minutes they have been allotted so far. For the forwards it’s a tale of two teams. Patrick Kane has been playing the same game he’s played for his whole career. Dylan Strome and newcomer Matthias Janmark have been great complements down the lineup, with rookies Philp Kurashev and Pius Suter showing elite offensive potential.
Blue Jackets Preview
The team is coming off of a 3-2 shootout win against the Florida Panthers the night before. The team’s playoff goaltending tandem is back and in form. Prior to last night’s game against the Panthers, Jonas Korpisalo has had the edge in starts. Through his four games he has gone 1-1-2 with a 2.45 save goals-against-average and a .928 save percentage. His counterpart, Elvis Merzlikins, was 1-1-1 with a 3.33 save percentage and a .891 goals-against-average.
The team is lead in points and goal scoring by Alexandre Texier, the team’s second round pick in 2017. He has four goals and two assists for six points on the year. Columbus native and recent trade acquisition Jack Roslovic is factoring in to the line up as of last night as well. He has no points yet, but his new team and drive for success should prove key to the team’s level of compete for this game.
On the blue line it’s led by the team’s usual suspects Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. Both are playing the minutes and game that they have been expected to play. A strong presence in their own end with the hint of offensive jump that they have each developed over their careers. Recently acquired depth player, Michael Del Zotto, has also been playing very well for his position on the roster. He’s been great on the bottom pairing and should prove to be a problem for the Blackhawks forwards.
Game Prediction
Both teams, despite how they look on the surface, have a very even roster. Both offences aren’t the most elite they can be, but have their few guys that can spark up the score sheet. Down the lineup in the bottom-six they both have strong checking forwards and those one or two guys who can drive play, Ryan Carpenter for Chicago and Cam Atkinson for Columbus. The defensive edge goes to the Jackets. They have been playing a more sound and competent game in their own end, giving up far fewer shots and scoring chances than Chicago has so far. The goalies are also evenly matched, and any guy can steal the show for either team.
It’s going to be a hard fought battle to the end, but the current division leaders will end up on top after 60 minutes of play.
Final Score: Columbus 3, Chicago 1
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