Blue Jackets at Rangers 4/5/19 - NHL Picks & Predictions

The Blue Jackets are on the cusp of tbe playoffs, but the downside for the Blue Jacket faithful is it is a game that could end up going down to the wire. The reason for that is the Blue Jackets are tied with the team behind them in the standings and that will definitely make a very interesting game and one that could see both the Canadiens and Blue Jackets have to make some major pushes for the final spot or even better leapfrogging over the Canadiens in the standings.

This season has seen the Blue Jackets offense move up to 3.10 goals a game being scored. The defense for the Blue Jackets has improved from where it was earlier this year with 2.84 goals a game allowed. The power play conversion still needs work for the Blue Jackets as they are converting at 15.5%, but the defense has ended up killing off 85% of the opponents power plays. For the Rangers the team has struggled a ton on the season so far and that is something the Rangers definitely have to cope with. However, something else that has cost the Rangers quite a bit on the year is the fact the defense has been playing somewhat horrible on the season compared to what they have been doing in the past.

On the season the Rangers have managed to score at a clip of 2.69 goals a game. The defense, though, is allowing 3.28 goals a game on the season so far. The Rangers have managed to convert on the power play at a rate of 19.4%, but have done fairly poor when it comes to the penalty kill at 77.7% on the season.