Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Picks & Predictions 12/28/2018

Friday, December 28, 2018

Nationwide Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Nationwide Arena to play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, December 28, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Maple Leafs at -137 and the Blue Jackets at +106.

Toronto has a record of 25-10-2 this season. They are 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 140 goals and given up 103 goals for a point differential of +37. For the season they have an ATS record of 25-12-0 and an over/under record of 19-15-0. Columbus has a record of 21-12-3 this year. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 117 goals and surrendered 109 for a goal differential of +8. Their record against the spread is 21-15-0 while their over/under record is 13-20-0.

Valuable Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Trends

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 25-12-0 straight up this year

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 19-15-0 against the over/under this season

Important Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Trends

The Columbus Blue Jackets are 21-15-0 straight up this year

The Columbus Blue Jackets are 13-20-0 against the over/under this season

Key Toronto Maple Leafs Injuries

12/24/18 D Igor Ozhiganov Illness is questionable Friday vs Columbus
12/23/18 LW Tyler Ennis Ankle is out indefinitely
12/21/18 C Zach Hyman Ankle is out indefinitely

Key Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Frederik Andersen has 20 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Maple Leafs. He has 965 shots against him and he's given up 74 goals. He's made 891 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Mitch Marner has accumulated 50 total points this season for the Maple Leafs. He has 12 goals this year with 105 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 38 assists on the season and averages 19.4 minutes played per game. Morgan Rielly averages 22.5 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 13 goals on 97 shots. He has 31 assists, giving him a total of 44 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Artemi Panarin has scored 39 total points this year for the Blue Jackets. He has 11 goals this season with 95 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 28 assists on the season and averages 19.9 minutes played per game. Sergei Bobrovsky has 16 wins and 10 losses this year in goal for the Blue Jackets. He has 793 shots against him and he's surrendered 69 goals. He's made 724 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Cam Atkinson averages 19.4 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 23 goals on 142 shots. He has 15 assists, giving him a total of 38 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Maple Leafs have allowed 98 power play opportunities and have given up 20 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80% this year. That is 17th in the NHL. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 11.97% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%, which is ranked 4th in the league. The Maple Leafs have 52 total points this season, ranking 2nd in the NHL in offense. They are 2nd in the league with 140 goals while they've given up 103 goals, which is 21st overall. They have had 101 power play opportunities and scored 24 goals on those chances for a percentage of 24%. That is 7th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Blue Jackets are 10th with 117 goals scored while they are 17th in the NHL with 109 goals allowed this year. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.10%. They give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them in 18th place in the league. The Blue Jackets have a total of 45 points this year, which is 8th in the NHL. They have 16 power play goals on 116 opportunities for a percentage of 14%. That ranks their power play unit 28th. They've allowed 103 power play opportunities and have given up 20 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%, which is 13th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Toronto is 11th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.9%, as they've attempted 2,345 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,259 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.8% as they have 1,740 attempts while they have given up 1,755 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 17th in the league. The Maple Leafs start possessions in the offensive zone 50.7% of the time, which is 15th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.3% for the season. That is 17th overall in the NHL. They have 1,180 face-off wins compared to 1,096 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.8%. That ranks them 7th in the league. On defense Toronto has 627 hits and they have blocked 504 shots from the opposition, putting them 20th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Blue Jackets are 10th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 52.1% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 47.9% for the season, which is 22nd in the NHL. They have 1,050 face-off wins compared to 1,116 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.5%. That is 21st in the league. On defense Columbus has 656 hits and they have blocked 502 shots from the opposition, which is 22nd in the league. Columbus is 15th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.9% as they've attempted 2,001 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,013 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 51.3% ranks 11th as they have 1,590 attempts while they have given up 1,511 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Columbus +106

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