The Winnipeg Jets had a tough time on a recent three-game road trip and ended up allowing a whopping 14 goals and losing all three matchups. The losing streak might not matter much since the Jets have already fallen to the bottom of the Central Division and would need a major turnaround to compete for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference—of course, anything can happen in sports, and the Jets are simply hoping that turnaround starts with Saturday’s matchups against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets actually have fewer points in the standings than the Jets, but the only difference is that Columbus is still in the playoff mix with 42 points. The Eastern Conference playoff threshold is a bit lighter than over in the West, and the Blue Jackets remain only five points out from the No. 8 seed. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup with predictions and analysis.

Blue Jackets at Jets Betting Story Lines

Columbus just completed a tough four-game road trip by splitting games with victories over the Phoenix Coyotes and New York Rangers. The team was able to walk away with a shootout win over New York on Monday night, and it will make a one-game pit stop at home to play the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, before heading back out on the road to face the Jets on Saturday.

Blue Jackets’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 40 saves during this last outing against the Rangers in 65 minutes worth of action. The three-year goalie has played well in a backup role for New York and has allowed only nine goals during four games to go along with two shutouts in that span.

The Jets are on an embarrassing four-game losing streak where they allowed 18 goals on 130 shots. The team is coming off a particularly disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and managed to take only 18 shot attempts while giving up 33. Winnipeg goaltender Al Montoya and Ondrej Pavelec split games during the losing streak, but neither player was able to make up for the poor overall team play.
 
The Jets had one other four-game losing streak on the season in late November, but they were able to end with two straight victories. Overall Winnipeg is ranked 16th in goals scored per game with 2.6, 21st in goals allowed with 2.9 and 26th in power-play percentage. The squad will play three of its next four games at home.

Blue Jackets at Jets NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

Winnipeg opened as a -131 favorite over the +119 underdog Blue Jackets at BetOnline. The total was set at 5.5 goals, with the “under” being a small favorite at -110. Columbus is 4-0 over its last four games against teams with losing home records and 4-0 against teams with losing overall records. The team is only 2-6 over its last eight Saturday games and 1-4 against the Western Conference.

Winnipeg is 3-7 over its last 10 home games and 5-16 over its last 21 Saturday games. The team also 0-4 against the Eastern Conference and has lost four straight games. Head-to-head, Columbus is 6-1 over the last seven matchups, while the under is 5-2 in he last seven games played in Winnipeg.

Free NHL Picks: Blue Jackets at Jets Predictions

Winnipeg’s defense and goaltending has been atrocious over its last four games, but the team is hoping a second straight game at home will be the cure to its recent troubles. Columbus is not a great team by any means, but the squad has played well over its last few matchups and may be coming into Saturday’s game with a world of confidence. Usually in a situation like this, taking the Blue Jackets might be the way to go. However, the team will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back and against a team that has not played since Tuesday. The Jets should be well-rested and have enough time to sit and stew over its recent struggles. Winnipeg is a small favorite and getting the right price for bettor to wager on. Take the Jets on the moneyline.

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Read more articles by George Monroy