Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Rangers Prediction 1/18/25 NHL Picks

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers meet Saturday in NHL action from Madison Square Garden. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Rangers prediction.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recap

The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this game looking to stay hot after picking up a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks last time out to improve to 22-17-6 on the year. After this game, Columbus will continue on the road to take on the New York Islanders.

Blue Jackets Win 6th Straight

Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 51 points including 15 goals and a team-high 36 assists while Kirill Marchenko has 49 points with a team-high 18 goals and 31 assists. Sean Monahan has 41 points with 14 goals and 27 assists while Dmitri Voronkov has 30 points with 17 goals and 13 assists. Kent Johnson has 26 points with 12 goals and 14 assists and Cole Sillinger has 23 points with 16 assists. Daniil Tarasov is 4-6-1 with a 4.00 GAA and a .862 save percentage while Elvis Merzlikins is 16-10-3 with a 3.05 GAA and an .890 save percentage this season between the pipes for Columbus. Jet Greaves has also gone 2-1-2 with a 2.98 GAA and a .906 save percentage as well for the Blue Jackets.

Why the Columbus Blue Jackets will win

• The Blue Jackets have won each of their last five games as underdogs.
• The Rangers have lost each of their last seven home games following a road win.
• The Blue Jackets have covered the puck line in each of their last six games.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in nine of their last 10 games as home favorites.

New York Rangers Recap

The New York Rangers come into this game looking to add on to their 5-3 win over the Utah Hockey Club last time out to improve to 21-20-3 on the year. After this game, New York will go back on the road for a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Rangers Looking To Keep Momentum Going

Artemi Panarin has a team-high 47 points with 19 goals and 28 assists while Alexis Lafreniere has 25 points with 12 goals and 13 assists on the year. Adam Fox has 32 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 27 points with 8 goals and 19 assists and Will Cuylle added 24 points with 11 goals and 13 assists. Vincent Trocheck also chipped in 29 points with 14 goals and 15 assists for the Rangers this season. In goal for the Rangers, Igor Shesterkin is 14-15-2 with a 2.97 GAA and a .907 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 6-5-1 with a 2.98 GAA and a .900 save percentage this season. Louis Domingue is also 1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .926 save percentage so far this season.

Why the New York Rangers will win

• The Blue Jackets have lost 15 of their last 17 road games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The home team has won each of the last four games between the Blue Jackets and Rangers.
• The Rangers have covered the puck line in each of their last six games.
• The Blue Jackets have failed to cover the puck line in three of their last four games at Madison Square Garden following a win.

Total Goals Facts

• Eleven of the Rangers’ last 12 night games against Eastern Conference opponents at Madison Square Garden have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Each of the Blue Jackets’ last four games against the Rangers following a win have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Ten of the last 11 Saturday night games have gone UNDER the total goals line.

Blue Jackets vs. Rangers Prediction

I’m on the Blue Jackets here. I just think that New York’s recent run of success was due to them being able to take advantage of teams in bad situations like the Utah Hockey Club being unable to win at home and just flat-out struggling. Columbus has had issues on the road, but they’re hot right now with wins in 6 straight and I think that they can compete and give themselves a shot to win this game. Give me the Blue Jackets and the nice plus money.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Columbus +160