Find out why Josh Inglis’ NHL player prop picks for tonight’s Blue Jackets vs. Penguins tilt are bearish on the Columbus offense and bullish on Evgeni Malkin and Philip Tomasino.
Josh Inglis • Betting Analyst
Mar 21, 2025 • 15:07 ET • 4 min read
It was a 1-2 SU day here last night as I cashed a +145 point prop, but I’ll be looking at a smaller card today with the NHL throwing us just a single game between two teams currently not in the playoffs. It’s time to look at some Unders.
These are my favorite NHL picks and Blue Jackets vs. Penguins props for Friday, March 21.
Best Blue Jackets vs Penguins props
Blue Jackets vs Penguins player props for March 21
Blue Jackets team total Under 2.5 (+120 at bet365)
I released this this morning on Puck Props. It was at +135 earlier this morning but moved to +120 after the full-game total moved from 6.5 to 6. It’s still a great price for this melting offense.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have scored just a single goal over the last four games and were outscored 11-1 on their 0-4 SU homestand.
The schedule isn’t doing the visitors any favors either as they lost 1-0 in OT last night at home to Florida and will be playing their seventh game in 12 days. Their opponent has had things easy of late as the Pittsburgh Penguins last played on Tuesday and has been at home since March 11.
The Jackets will get Alex Nedeljkovic in net and although he might be the No. 2 right now, he’s been the No. 1 this year and has been off since March 7. That’s a long time to wait for another shot to take back the starting gig.
In a battle between a generous team in Pittsburgh vs. a struggling offense in the Blue Jackets, I’ll fade the dusty offense. This could be another low-scoring affair for the Blue Jackets, who have a much weaker offense on the road that scores a full goal less than at home.
Evgeni Malkin + Philip Tomasino Over 0.5 points each (+325 at bet365)
This is a bet more on price than anything else.
This is a second line and PP2 correlated linemate stack. Evgeni Malkin and Philip Tomasino should see 17-19 minutes and a decent amount of PP time. This is a stack I’d play for +300 and up. It hit last Saturday at +375 and this matchup is even better, which is priced in.
The Blue Jackets might be rolling with Daniil Tarasov in net and that’s good for the Pittsburgh offense. Tarasov ranks 56th of 71 qualified goalies in expected goals saved above/60, per Money Puck.
I don’t love two-way scoring in this game, but this second line should get plenty of ice time for a Pittsburgh team that has one of the worst bottom-six rosters in the league.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
