Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Rangers: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/28/2023

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Where to watch: BSOH, MSG

DraftKings: Rangers -390, Blue Jackets +320

BetMGM: Rangers -390, Blue Jackets +320

Caesars: Rangers -390, Blue Jackets +320

Blue Jackets: 23-42-7

Rangers: 43-20-10

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It might have taken a little bit but I don't think anyone wants to face the New York Rangers right now heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Columbus Blue Jackets will find that out first hand on Tuesday when the two teams meet at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, but with the Rangers going 8-1-1 in their last ten games center now just four points behind the New Jersey Devils for second place in the metropolitan division, I don't think anybody wants to face this stacked lineup anytime soon.

 

Given the fact that we are on a collision course for the devils and the Rangers to face each other in the first round of the playoffs, which might set off a chain reaction of seismic proportions the likes of which we haven't seen, the Rangers are still charging for the second seed and are still mathematically alive for the top spot in the metro. There are still seven points behind the Carolina Hurricanes in that regard but at the very least New York is right where it wants to be and is playing great hockey at the right time.

 

And obviously you look up and down the lineup of the Rangers and then getting Patrick Kane at the trade deadline is the byproduct of why this team is as good as it is. New York has been able to turn it on at the right time in terms of scoring and in terms of just being an overall offensive juggernaut that no one on this planet would want to face.

 

Kane has been fairly good since coming to New York with eight points in 12 games and he is playing at a pace where he is becoming a factor at the right time for this group. When you have Artemi Panarin leading the team in points and Mika Zibanejad right behind him was 79, this is just a team that's so stacked from top to bottom that no one wants to face them.

 

And poor Columbus has to be the brunt of everything as it pertains to what's going to happen in this game. The first year of Johnny Gaudreau and the Columbus experience is not what anybody expected even though Gaudreau is near a point per game this year. Columbus's near the bottom of the standings and is definitely one of those teams that are going to be in on drafting Connor Bedard later this summer. And if they can't manage to figure out a fast track to being A tag team in the Eastern Conference that this is going to be a very slow painful rebuild.

 

I can't see this game going for any longer than a full 60 minute game and I can't imagine this one ending in any positive fashion for Columbus. Rangers 5, Blue Jackets 1

Blue Jackets:

Johnny Gaudreau -- Boone Jenner -- Kirill Marchenko

Liam Foudy -- Jack Roslovic -- Kent Johnson

Eric Robinson -- Sean Kuraly -- Trey Fix-Wolansky

Lane Pederson -- Hunter McKown -- Emil Bemstrom

Adam Boqvist -- Nick Blankenburg

Tim Berni -- Andrew Peeke

Gavin Bayreuther -- Jake Christiansen

Elvis Merzlikins

Rangers:

Artemi Panarin -- Mika Zibanejad -- Vladimir Tarasenko

Chris Kreider -- Vincent Trocheck -- Patrick Kane

Alexis Lafreniere -- Filip Chytil -- Kaapo Kakko

Jimmy Vesey -- Barclay Goodrow -- Tyler Motte

K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba

Niko Mikkola -- Adam Fox

Ben Harpur -- Braden Schneider

Jaroslav Halak