Chicago Blackhawks at Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Picks & Predictions 10/20/2018

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Nationwide Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Chicago Blackhawks travel to Nationwide Arena to play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, October 20, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Blackhawks at +140 and the Blue Jackets at -155.

Chicago has a record of 3-1-2 this season. They are 4th in the Central Division. They've scored 23 goals and given up 25 goals for a point differential of -2. For the season they have an ATS record of 3-3-0 and an over/under record of 5-1-0. Columbus is 4-2-0 this season. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 22 goals and surrendered 22 for a goal differential of 0. Their record against the spread is 4-2-0 while their over/under record is 4-2-0.

Valuable Chicago Blackhawks Betting Trends

The Chicago Blackhawks are 3-3-0 straight up this year

The Chicago Blackhawks are 5-1-0 against the over/under this season

Important Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Trends

The Columbus Blue Jackets are 4-2-0 straight up this year

The Columbus Blue Jackets are 4-2-0 against the over/under this season

Key Chicago Blackhawks Injuries

10/04/18 D Connor Murphy Back is out indefinitely
10/01/18 D Gustav Forsling Wrist is out indefinitely

Key Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries

10/08/18 C Brandon Dubinsky None is out 4-6 weeks
09/26/18 D Seth Jones Knee is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Patrick Kane has accumulated 8 total points this season for the Blackhawks. He has 5 goals this year with 34 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 3 assists on the season and averages 22.5 minutes played per game. Jonathan Toews averages 19.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 24% by scoring 5 goals on 21 shots. He has 5 assists, giving him a total of 10 points on the season. Cam Ward has 3 wins and no losses this season in net for the Blackhawks. He has 173 shots against him and he's given up 21 goals. He's made 152 saves for a save percentage of 88%.

Player Spotlight

Artemi Panarin has scored 9 total points this year for the Blue Jackets. He has 3 goals this season with 17 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 6 assists on the season and averages 19.7 minutes played per game. Cam Atkinson averages 18.7 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 17% by scoring 4 goals on 24 shots. He has 2 assists, giving him a total of 6 points on the season. Sergei Bobrovsky has 2 wins and 2 losses this year in goal for the Blue Jackets. He has 128 shots against him and he's surrendered 16 goals. He's made 112 saves for a save percentage of 88%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blackhawks have 8 total points this season, which ranks them 13th in the NHL. They are 8th in the league in goals scored with 23 while they've given up 25 goals, ranking them 4th overall. They have had 20 power play opportunities and have scored 2 goals on those chances for a percentage of 10%. That is 27th in the NHL. The Blackhawks have allowed 17 power play opportunities and have given up 6 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 65%, putting them 30th in the league when short-handed. They average 36 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.55% for the season. They allow 34 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 88%. That puts them 28th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blue Jackets are 11th in the NHL with a total of 8 points this year. They have 4 power play goals on 25 opportunities for a percentage of 16%. That ranks them 22nd in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 19 power play opportunities and have given up 6 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 68%. That is 29th in the NHL. As a team, the Blue Jackets are 11th in the league with 22 goals scored while they've given up 22 goals, which is 12th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 11.11%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 88%. That is 25th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Chicago is 8th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.6%, as they've attempted 407 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 352 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.1% as they have 293 attempts while they have given up 269 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 11th in the league. The Blackhawks start possessions in the offensive zone 53.1% of the time, which is 10th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 46.9% for the season. That is 22nd overall in the NHL. They have 197 face-off wins compared to 204 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.1%. That ranks them 22nd in the league. On defense Chicago has 92 hits and they have blocked 83 shots from the opposition, putting them 20th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Blue Jackets are 8th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 53.9% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 46.1% for the season, which is 24th in the NHL. They have 183 face-off wins compared to 189 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.2%. That is 21st in the league. On defense Columbus has 79 hits and they have blocked 75 shots from the opposition, which is 24th in the league. Columbus is 11th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 52% as they've attempted 349 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 322 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 52.9% ranks 9th as they have 277 attempts while they have given up 247 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Blackhawks/Blue Jackets NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Chicago +140

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