To say things have been better for the Columbus Blue Jackets would be an understatement. After a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday dropped them to 0-7-2 in their past nine games, the Blue Jackets return home to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, hoping to avoid a franchise-record 10th straight setback. While the Blue Jackets will be on two days of rest for the first time since Nov. 8, they are the NHL's coldest team, with issues throughout the roster. Among the veteran players expected to lead the group, Patrik Laine has struggled for ice time under head coach Pascal Vincent and was a healthy scratch against Philadelphia. At the same time, a sputtering power play emphasizes further struggles throughout the roster. Against the Flyers, the Jackets went 0-for-5 on the power play and sat at 9.8 percent on the season, the third worst in the NHL entering Tuesday. Although returning home after a two-game road swing could buoy Columbus, they will need to shut down one of the league's top young players, Connor Bedard, and a Blackhawks team that has shown signs of life despite losing four straight games. Bedard in particular has grown into a leading role with the Blackhawks, topping their scoring charts with nine goals and 15 points, shining brightly even as the heavy attention of his NHL debut has subsided. Meanwhile, the rest of the Blackhawks have continued many of the struggles that placed them among the NHL's bottom teams last season, with struggles for consistency pushed on by defensive mishaps, lack of depth scoring and inability to score decisive late goals. So after all of this analysis, and both teams struggling mightily, this total is 6.5. Which means the oddsmakers think CBJ bounces back here big time after the poor performances lately, and Chicago likely gets their goals as well, and keep in mind both defenses have been struggling. Let's roll with the over here as our model loves two terrible teams playing to the over.