2 Best Bets and Player Props for Blue Jackets at Penguins on Friday 3/21/25

Whether it's moneylines or total goals, there are plenty of ways to bet on the NHL action all season. It's a long 82-game campaign, meaning that the best selections of each night can be very different based on backup goalies coming into play, injuries that add up, and if teams are due for positive or negative swings.

For additional NHL insights, check out FanDuel Research's daily NHL projections, powered by numberFire.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

Please note that betting lines and numberFire's NHL DFS projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com. Lineup notes and starting goaltenders come from Daily Faceoff.

Blue Jackets vs. Penguins Best Bets and Player Props

Penguins Moneyline (-125)

The NHL has conceded Friday night’s schedule to the college basketball, leaving hockey fans just one game to watch. The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to continue their climb up the Eastern Conference standings, taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena.

The Pens are enjoying a late-season renaissance with output finally catching up to expected levels. Still, Pittsburgh is well short of where it should be. Over their last three games, the Penguins have totaled 14 goals with all but three coming at five-on-five. While their production has been somewhat mediocre, we anticipate ongoing success for the Pens. Pittsburgh is 20 goals below its expected tally with a 0.984 PDO, implying that ongoing progression is inevitable.

Unfortunately, that will come at the Blue Jackets’ expense on Friday night. Columbus has been mired in a recent slump, losing five straight. Their undoing has been a combination of lousy goaltending and ineffective offensive play. The Jackets have just four goals at five-on-five across their last five games and have been held scoreless in three of those contests. Worse, Blue Jackets goalies have been torched for 16 goals across the sample.

Columbus has fallen over its recent schedule, and they’ll be hard-pressed to reverse course versus a Penguins team on the rise. Given the state of both teams, we see an edge with the Pens as short home chalk in this one.

Sidney Crosby to Record 1+ Powerplay Points (+220)

Sidney Crosby isn’t solely responsible for the Penguins’ resurgence but has been a primary factor. The two-time Hart Trophy winner has found his groove and should deliver another game-changing performance at home.

The Pens have unleashed Sid the Kid. Crosby has eight points over his last five games while maintaining his usual workload. He’s averaged north of 20 minutes per game over that stretch and remained the quarterback on the top powerplay unit. As such, it’s clear that the Penguins will continue to deploy their aging superstar in an unbridled capacity.

Crosby is up to 5 goals on his last 13 shots. Still, his season-long shooting percentage remains a couple of points below his career benchmark of 14.4% -- and even further off last year’s mark of 15.1%. Similarly, he remains below his expected goals-for total on the season. Those indicators point toward sustained success over the season's final few weeks.

Several intriguing Crosby props are worth considering in tonight’s Metropolitan Division battle. However, we see the most value in backing him to record at least one powerplay point. The Blue Jackets have one of the worst penalty-kill units in the NHL, and Crosby does his best work with a little extra room to move. Don’t overlook the value of this prop.

New to FanDuel Sportsbook? You’ll receive $200 in Bonus Bets if your first $5+ bet wins! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!