Columbus Blue Jackets at Anaheim Ducks prediction, pick for 3/17: Struggling teams eye strong finish

Yardbarker Quick Pick

This game screams sloppy. Both teams get pummeled by shots and neither team has a goalie that has shown any ability to consistently stop the puck. Three of the last four meetings have gone for 7+ goals, including a 5-3 Anaheim win in January. Take over 6.5 here and watch as the defensive incompetence rules the day. — Griffin Carroll, Yardbarker

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Friday, 10 p.m. ET
Columbus Blue Jackets: +1 (-166) puckline, +105 moneyline, over 6.5 (-118)
@ Anaheim Ducks: -1 (+165) puckline, -125 moneyline, under 6.5 (-106)

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"We've taken some really great strides, but tonight we took a step backwards," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. Pointing to how the Ducks had success when they "played in behind" opponents' defenses in their previous two games, Eakins felt the strategy was abandoned against New York.

"We decided that we were just going to skate through them," Eakins said. "And we turned the puck over and we turned it over again and again. We just couldn't come out of it."

The Ducks had 23 shots against the Islanders, continuing their recent difficulties in getting the puck on the net. In 11 games since Feb. 21, Anaheim is averaging a league-low 24.8 shots per game.

Columbus is 1-4-1 in its past six games, including a 4-1 road loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. A scoreless game was suddenly blown wide open in the second period, when the Blue Jackets conceded four goals in 9:04 of ice time.

The Kings' flurry chased Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov from the game, but Columbus defenseman Erik Gudbranson felt Tarasov "didn't deserve what ended up coming his way."

"(Tarasov) was tremendous at the start at the start, he made some tremendous saves," Gudbranson said. "We turned some pucks over at the blue line and it (came) back to bite us."

Michael Hutchinson stopped all nine shots faced in 26:02 of play, and the unexpected relief outing likely won't impact Hutchinson's planned status as Friday's starter. Playing on consecutive nights, the Blue Jackets were expected to split starts between the two goaltenders.

Columbus is 3-8-2 in the second half of back-to-backs this season.

Kirill Marchenko scored the Blue Jackets' only goal on Thursday. Marchenko is the third rookie in Jackets history to reach the 17-goal mark in his first NHL season, and he is well within reach of Pierre-Luc Dubois' team rookie record of 20 goals.

Anaheim backup goalie Lukas Dostal is the probable starter Friday, as John Gibson is expected to get a break after playing in eight of the Ducks' past 10 games. Dostal is 3-5-2 with a 3.90 goals against average and an .898 save percentage over 11 games this season.

Forward Jakob Silfverberg is questionable for Anaheim's lineup after missing practice Thursday due to illness.

The Ducks won the first meeting against the Blue Jackets this season, coming back from a 3-0 deficit for a 5-3 comeback win in Columbus on Jan. 19. Dating back to March 2018, the Ducks have seven wins in their past eight games against the Blue Jackets.