Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Islanders - 12/23/19 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders

Date: Monday, December 23, 2019

Location: Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+156) Islanders (-173)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders (23-8-3, 2nd in the Metropolitan Division) host the Columbus Blue Jackets (16-14-6, 6th in the Metropolitan Division) at Nassau Coliseum on Monday, December 23, 2019. The moneyline on this matchup has the Blue Jackets coming in at +156 and the Islanders are at -173. The O/U opens at 5.5. The Blue Jackets cover 44.4% of the time, having gone 16-20 SU. New York covers 64.5% of the time, going 20-11 straight up.

The Columbus Blue Jackets head into this game holding a record of 16 victories and 14 defeats, which is good for 6th in the Metropolitan Division. During the year thus far, they have earned a total of 95 goals which ranks them 14th in the conference and 28th in the league. Their goal differential is -8, which is good for 22nd in the league. The Blue Jackets have a total of 38 pts, which ranks them 23rd in the league and 12th in the Eastern Conference. With reference to shots at the opposing goalie, they have a total of 1,201 which ranks them 5th in the Eastern Conference and 7th in the league. As a team, Columbus currently has a total of 684 hits which means they have an average of 19 per contest. They have a total of 459 blocks for the season. The man between the pipes for Columbus is Joonas Korpisalo from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is 25 years old and has played a total of 1,688 mins protecting the net for the season. Korpisalo is giving up an average of 2.56 GAA which places him at 11th in the East and 18th in the NHL among goalies. For the year, he has given up 72 goals. He's earned a save percentage of .910 which places him at 15th in the East.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 5 - 1 win against the New Jersey Devils their last time out. The Blue Jackets had a solid offensive outing and it was apparent in this victory. In their game, they scored on 5 of the 40 shots they put on goal. Furthermore, they had 5 power play attempts but weren't able to notch a goal in these power play chances. Columbus had a total of 10 penalty minutes in this outing. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets sat at 44 and the Corsi against was 30 which earned them a Corsi percentage of 59.5%. Their Fenwick was 37 and the Fenwick against was 22, which means they earned a Fenwick percentage of 62.7%. They won 26 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 17 of the face-offs. Their starts in the offensive zone came in at 55.2% and they had a PDO of 103.4 for this matchup. When it comes to their opponent, the New Jersey Devils racked up 22 shots. They finished with a total of 14 penalty minutes and they had 3 power play attempts.

The Islanders will be looking to get a victory in this matchup and for the campaign they have 23 victories and 8 defeats. When looking at goal differential, they are currently sitting 5th in the conference and 7th in the NHL with +13. They have earned a total of 100 goals for the season which is 13th in the conference. New York has a save percentage as a team of .919 which is good for 4th in the NHL, which means chances to score may be limited. They have a team shooting percentage of 10.4% putting them at 6th in the East. In goal for New York is Semyon Varlamov who is having an ok year by allowing 2.47 goals per game and that places him 9th among East goaltenders and 16th in the NHL. In the 1,141 minutes he's played this season, he has surrendered 47 goals. His save % is .919, which ranks him 8th among East goaltenders and 16th in the NHL.

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The New York Islanders went up against the Anaheim Ducks in a matchup where the Islanders ended up losing by a final of 6 - 5. For this matchup, New York earned a 51.8% Corsi rating. They got there by having a Corsi of 44 and the other team having a Corsi of 41. Their Fenwick percentage was 50.0% with a Fenwick of 30 and the Ducks earning a 30 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game New York played and they looked good in this game. Their PDO was 96.8 and their percentage of oZS was 64.9%. The Islanders scored 5 goals out of the 33 shots on goal they pursued. They had 3 power play opportunities in this one and were able to convert 2 out of those tries. Regarding their opponent, the Ducks had 4 power play chances and were able to tally 1 goal. New York conceded 28 shots on goal and the Ducks had a total of 6 penalty mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take New York (-173)

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