Online Betting Overview
The sports fans in Columbus, OH are spending much more time betting March Madness games than they are NHL hockey games. The Blue Jackets made some interesting moves in the off-season that were supposed to make the team more competitive. Columbus lured Jeff Carter away from the Philadelphia Flyers and then made sure that top players such as goalie Steve Mason and forward Rick Nash stayed with the team. But for all of its personnel moves and changes, the Blue Jackets are the worst team in the NHL by a long shot. The Blue Jackets trail the 29th team in the league, Edmonton, by 11 points. The only thing that the Blue Jackets can do at this point is try to play spoiler to any other team. But Columbus may not even be able to do that very well either.
A month before the All-Star break, the Chicago Blackhawks had everything under control. The price per head sportsbook experts were giving Chicago the nod as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. At one point, the Blackhawks were leading the league in the standings. But the Blackhawks suddenly collapsed and went into last week riding a five-game losing streak. Chicago’s inability to play defense is finally catching up with it and the fact that Chicago has not addressed its defense deficiencies since it broke up the Stanly Cup winning team three years ago is starting to show. Goaltender Corey Crawford is under siege every game and is starting to crack from the pressure. Chicago needs to learn how to play defense or it could find itself out of the playoff race.
Columbus Blue Jackets
A betting sports news review of the moves made by Columbus over the summer gave a lot of fans reason to hope. But everything that the Blue Jackets did right last year it is doing wrong this year. Steve Mason was a rock in goal last season, but this year the only thing he leads the league in is losses. The Columbus Blue Jackets should have been the perfect storm coming together to create a competitive team. But every one of the elements that the team was relying on to contribute has been a bust to this point. The Blue Jackets cannot salvage this season. But the team needs to perform better if it wants to generate any interest in next season.
Chicago Blackhawks
As the NHL trade deadline 2012 approaches, fans in Chicago are wondering if the Blackhawks will make any kind of move to improve the roster. The reality is that there is no one or two moves that Chicago can make that will significantly help the team. The Blackhawks need a defense, and that is something that will have to be built over the off-season. As for this game, nobody gives up more goals than the Columbus Blue Jackets. For an offensive team like the Blackhawks, that is the perfect scenario for a much needed win.
The Bottom Line
The Blackhawks are all offense and the Blue Jackets have no defense or goaltending. This should be a very one-sided game in favor of Chicago. But with the Blackhawks being so inconsistent lately, this one may actually be close.
Gambling Advisor blog Pick: Chicago Blackhawks
