Best NHL Bets Today: Blue Jackets at Penguins Predictions, Picks and Odds

Written by

Daniel Dobish

Published on March 21, 2025

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The National Hockey League has just a single game on the slate Friday, as the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins meet at 7 p.m. ET on NHL Network. We'll not only play the side and total in this matchup, but we'll also take a look at the player props to cobble together a few parlay possibilities for this Eastern Conference matchup. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks for
Friday, March 21

For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Blue Jackets (31-28-9) and Penguins (28-32-10) meet at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh for the NHL's standalone game. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on NHL Network.

The Blue Jackets have had a terrible time scoring lately, going for just one goal in the past four games, meaning they've been shut out three different times since March 13. Columbus is still in the wild-card picture in the Eastern Conference, but it is 0-4-1 in the past five games, and 1-6-1 in the previous eight contests, putting a huge crimp in its postseason plans.

The past two losses are especially painful, with a 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils spoiling a solid outing by Jet Greaves, with Mathieu Olivier scoring with helpers to Zach Aston-Reese and Justin Danforth, while Thursday's loss was even worse. Columbus fell 1-0 in overtime against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, as Elvis Merzlikins was left shaking his head.

For the Penguins, they're looking to snap a three-game losing streak in the series. Columbus has outscored Pittsburgh 14-8 in the series since March 30, 2024, with the Over cashing in each of the outings. Two of the wins were 4-3 shootout victories, and the Blue Jackets cashed as the underdog in each of those three wins.

Pittsburgh is a solid 4-1-0 in the past five games, as Tristan Jarry is back and playing well. He was waived earlier this season and banished to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, but he has returned with a vengeance. It also helps that he is getting plenty of offensive support, which is something the Columbus goaltenders have to be super envious of. The Pens have scored 20 goals in the past five games, or 4.0 goals per game (GPG). The Over has cashed in each of the past three games.

Since returning, Jarry is 4-1-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .928 save percentage in five starts, and he has allowed three or fewer goals in each of the outings.

We'll back the Penguins to get the job done, snapping a losing skid in this series, and based on the struggles of the Blue Jackets on offense, we'll go low on the total.

As far as the player props are concerned, at least in terms of Anytime Goal Scorers, we'll stay away from the Columbus players due to it being ice-cold. For Pittsburgh, we'll back one Anytime Goal Scorer. And, we'll keep it simple. Sidney Crosby has scored five goals and eight points with a plus-3 rating in the past five games. At plus-money (+135), he is still a decent value.

Looking to the Jackets, captain Boone Jenner has managed two or more shots on goal in five of the past six games. He is a good bet to get to at least two SOGs. However, this will cost you nearly two times your potential return, so only include this in your same-game parlay, not as a standalone bet.

And, if you're really adventurous, Connor Dewar (+500) as an Anytime Goal Scorer is worth a roll of the dice for a small standalone wager for the chance to multiply up five times. He had two goals in the 7-3 win over the Devils last Saturday.

*But, don't include the Dewar AGS prop wager in your SGP, unless you play it really, really lightly.