One of the top teams in the NHL looks to continue rolling as the Florida Panthers head to Nationwide Arena to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.
Oddsmakers expect the Panthers to add to their win tally with NHL betting lines opening with Florida as a whopping -272 favorite before shifting to -294.
Here are our best free NHL betting picks and predictions for Panthers vs. Blue Jackets on Monday, January 31, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. ET.
Panthers vs Blue Jackets odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The line opened with Florida installed as a -272 favorite with the Over/Under at 6.5. Early money has come in on the Panthers, shifting their moneyline odds anywhere from -294 to -310 depending on the book. The total has held steady at 6.5.
When these teams previously clashed on January 16, the Panthers won 9-2 as -292 home favorites.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Panthers vs Blue Jackets predictions
Predictions made on 1/31/2022 at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Panthers vs Blue Jackets game info
• Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
• Date: Monday, January 31, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports Ohio
Panthers vs Blue Jackets betting preview
Key injuries
Panthers: Maxim Mamin C (Out), Patric Hornqvist RW (Out), Olli Juolevi D (Out), Markus Nutivaara D (Out), Noel Acciari C (Out.
Blue Jackets: Alexandre Texier C (Out), Justin Danforth RW (Out), Daniil Tarasov G (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Panthers vs Blue Jackets head-to-head record since 2021
Panthers: 8-1, 41 goals for.
Blue Jackets: 1-8, 19 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 7-0 in the Blue Jackets' last seven games playing on zero days' rest. Find more NHL betting trends for Panthers vs. Blue Jackets.
Panthers vs Blue Jackets picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Puck line analysis
The Panthers are coming off a 5-4 overtime win against the Sharks on Saturday and have won nine of their last 11 games, including a 9-2 curb-stomping of the Blue Jackets on January 15. Florida now ranks third in the NHL in point percentage (.744) while sitting second in goal differential (plus-54) and is tied with Vegas for the third-best odds of winning the Stanley Cup.
Columbus is fresh off back-to-back wins, most recently a 6-3 road win against Montreal last night. The Blue Jackets are still just 23rd in the league in both point percentage (.488) and goal differential (minus-19).
Columbus has been particularly poor on the defensive end of the ice, allowing the third-most high-danger chances (12.57) and most goals (3.22) per 60 minutes in 5v5 play. That's bad news against a high-powered Florida lineup that leads the NHL in HDCF/60 (13.83) and GF/60 (3.5) in 5-on-5 hockey.
The Panthers have dominated this Eastern Conference rivalry lately, going 7-0 over the last year and winning each of the previous five meetings by multiple goals. While the Panthers have been surprisingly average on the road, the Jackets are just 1-5 in their previous six contests as an underdog at home and will have a very tough playing on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
With Florida winning by at least two goals in nine of its last 12 victories, take the Panthers on the puck line.
Prediction: Panthers puck line -1.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Panthers are an offensive powerhouse, ranking second in the league in scoring with 4.04 goals per game. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the way with 62 points in 45 games, but there's plenty of depth as well with a whopping eight Florida players who have slotted at least 10 goals.
Although Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is putting together his finest season since he was a member of the Blue Jackets in 2019, he has allowed at least three goals in each of his last three starts, posting a save percentage of just .887 over that span.
That said, the BJ's have gotten even worse goaltending behind some very shaky defensive pairings. They will likely roll with Elvis Merzlikins tonight and the 27-year-old has a GAA of just 3.18 this season. Merzlikins had a fantastic rookie season for Columbus two years ago, but he's regressed since and has a poor track record against Florida. He allowed four goals on just 15 shots before getting pulled in the first period against the Panthers two weeks ago and had a 3.46 GAA in four starts versus Florida last season.
While the Jackets have struggled to defend, they have been solid offensively and rank 11th in the league in GF/60 (2.64) in 5-on-5 play.
Prediction: Over 6.5 (-125)
Best bet
We've got a matchup between one of the best offensive teams in the league against one of the worst defensive units. And while the Jackets struggle to keep the puck out of the net, their offense is very capable of scoring and has potted 11 goals in the last two games.
The total is set at a high 6.5 and juiced at -125 to the Over but we're still heavily leaning in that direction. Despite some consistently high O/U numbers for both teams, they've been consistently profitable for Over bettors. The Over is 12-4 in the Panthers' last 16 games while going 22-8-1 in the Blue Jackets previous 31 contests as a home underdog.
In addition, the last seven meetings between these teams have gone 6-1 O/U. Back the Over tonight.
Pick: Over 6.5 (-125)
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