Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks 3/7/2019

Thursday, March 7, 2019

PPG Paints Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Columbus Blue Jackets travel to PPG Paints Arena to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, March 7, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Blue Jackets at +115 and the Penguins at -140.

Columbus has a record of 37-26-3 this season. They are 5th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 204 goals and given up 197 goals for a point differential of +7. For the season they have an ATS record of 36-29-0 and an over/under record of 26-33-0. Pittsburgh is 35-22-9 this season. They are 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 228 goals and surrendered 202 for a goal differential of +26. Their record against the spread is 34-31-0 while their over/under record is 32-28-0.

Valuable Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Trends

The Columbus Blue Jackets are 36-29-0 straight up this year

The Columbus Blue Jackets are 26-33-0 against the over/under this season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 34-31-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 32-28-0 against the over/under this season

Key Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries

02/21/19 D Ryan Murray Upper Body is out indefinitely
02/19/19 LW Markus Hannikainen Illness IR (02/19)

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

03/05/19 D Kris Letang Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Columbus
02/27/19 RW Bryan Rust Lower Body is out indefinitely
02/27/19 D Chad Ruhwedel Upper Body is out indefinitely
02/12/19 D Olli Maatta Upper Body IR (02/12)

Player Spotlight

Artemi Panarin has accumulated 73 total points this season for the Blue Jackets. He has 25 goals this year with 163 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 48 assists on the season and averages 20.1 minutes played per game. Cam Atkinson averages 19.6 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 36 goals on 248 shots. He has 25 assists, giving him a total of 61 points on the season. Sergei Bobrovsky has 28 wins and 21 losses this season in net for the Blue Jackets. He has 1,413 shots against him and he's given up 134 goals. He's made 1,279 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Sidney Crosby has scored 86 total points this year for the Penguins. He has 30 goals this season with 185 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 56 assists on the season and averages 20.8 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averages 18.1 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 21 goals on 170 shots. He has 45 assists, giving him a total of 66 points on the season. Matt Murray has 21 wins and 10 losses this year in goal for the Penguins. He has 1,117 shots against him and he's surrendered 96 goals. He's made 1,021 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blue Jackets have 77 total points this season, which ranks them 13th in the NHL. They are 11th in the league in goals scored with 204 while they've given up 197 goals, ranking them 17th overall. They have had 187 power play opportunities and have scored 29 goals on those chances for a percentage of 16%. That is 28th in the NHL. The Blue Jackets have allowed 171 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 3rd in the league when short-handed. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.70% for the season. They allow 30 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 23rd in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins are 11th in the NHL with a total of 79 points this year. They have 45 power play goals on 177 opportunities for a percentage of 25%. That ranks them 5th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 184 power play opportunities and have given up 37 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. That is 19th in the NHL. As a team, the Penguins are 5th in the league with 228 goals scored while they've given up 202 goals, which is 14th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.56%. As a team they give up 34 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 9th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Columbus is 10th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.1%, as they've attempted 3,712 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,549 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52% as they have 2,890 attempts while they have given up 2,672 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 8th in the league. The Blue Jackets start possessions in the offensive zone 52.2% of the time, which is 9th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.8% for the season. That is 23rd overall in the NHL. They have 1,960 face-off wins compared to 1,960 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50%. That ranks them 17th in the league. On defense Columbus has 1,360 hits and they have blocked 877 shots from the opposition, putting them 26th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Penguins are 26th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.5% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.5% for the season, which is 6th in the NHL. They have 1,986 face-off wins compared to 1,988 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50%. That is 16th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,921 hits and they have blocked 1,003 shots from the opposition, which is 8th in the league. Pittsburgh is 19th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.1% as they've attempted 3,823 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,967 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.4% ranks 18th as they have 2,893 attempts while they have given up 2,964 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Columbus +115

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