Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Washington Capitals - 12/27/19 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals

Date: Friday, December 27, 2019

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

TV: NSWA

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+175) Capitals (-213)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Joonas Korpisalo and the Columbus Blue Jackets (17-14-6, 6th in the Metropolitan Division) head to Capital One Arena on Friday where they'll meet the Washington Capitals (26-7-5, 1st in the Metropolitan Division). The line on this matchup has the Blue Jackets coming in at +175 and the Capitals are at -213. The total opens at 5.5. The Blue Jackets cover 46.0% of the time, having gone 17-20 SU. Washington is covering 65.7% of the time, going 23-12 straight up.

The Columbus Blue Jackets head into this game holding a record of 17 wins and 14 losses, putting them at 6th in the Metropolitan Division. During the year thus far, they have scored a total of 98 goals which is good for 14th in the Eastern Conference and 28th in the NHL. Their goal differential is -7, putting them at 21st in the NHL. The Blue Jackets have compiled a total of 40 pts, which is good for 23rd in the NHL and 12th in the conference. In discussing shots at the opposition, they have compiled a total of 1,236 which is good for 4th in the East and 6th in the NHL. As a team, Columbus has compiled a total of 714 hits which means they have an average of 19.3 per game. They have compiled a total of 475 blocks for the season. The man in the crease for Columbus is Joonas Korpisalo from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is 25 years old and has totaled 1,748 minutes protecting the net for the season. Korpisalo is allowing 2.54 goals per game which ranks him 10th among Eastern Conference goalies and 17th in the NHL among goaltenders. For the season, he has given up 74 goals. He has a save % of .911 which ranks him 13th among Eastern Conference goalies.

Related: NHL Totals Betting: Expert Tips and Advice

The Columbus Blue Jackets were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 3 - 2 win against the New York Islanders in their previous game. The Blue Jackets had an average offensive outing in this win. In their game, they converted 3 of the 35 shots they tried. Additionally, they had 2 power play chances and netted 1 goal out of those tries. Columbus had 6 penalty minutes for this matchup. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets sat at 50 and the Corsi against was 56 which gave them a Corsi percentage of 47.2%. Their Fenwick sat at 44 and the Fenwick against at even strength was 40, which means they had a Fenwick percentage of 52.4%. They won 25 face-off wins at even strength and lost 20 tries to control the puck. Their starts in the offensive zone came in at 53.8% and they had a PDO of 99.4 for this matchup. Regarding their opponent, the New York Islanders racked up a total of 37 shots. They finished with a total of 6 minutes in the box and they had 2 power play chances.

The Capitals are the team on the other side of the ice and for the season they have 26 wins and 7 defeats. In connection with goal differential, they are currently sitting 2nd in the East and 3rd in the NHL with +25. They currently have a total of 134 goals for this year which puts them at 1st in the conference. Washington has a team save % of .905 which is good for 15th in the NHL, which tells us scoring chances could be there if they are opportunistic. They have a team shooting percentage of 11.1% which is good for 1st in the Eastern Conference. In net for Washington is Braden Holtby who is having a marginal year by surrendering 2.87 goals against average and that ranks him 17th among Eastern Conference goalies and 33rd among goaltenders in the NHL. In the 1,547 mins he's played this season, he has allowed 74 goals. He has a save percentage of .907, which puts him at 19th among Eastern Conference goalies and 37th among goaltenders in the NHL.

Related: How to Turn Hockey Bets into Big Profits

The Washington Capitals squared up with the Boston Bruins in a matchup where the Capitals went home in defeat by a final of 7 - 3. For this game, Washington went home with a 68.1% Corsi rating. They got there by having a Corsi of 47 and the other team having a Corsi of 22. They had a Fenwick percentage of 67.3% by way of having a Fenwick of 35 and the Bruins having a 17 Fenwick. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Washington had and you can say they had a mediocre outing. Their PDO at even strength was 73.6 and they had an oZS percentage of 52.9%. The Capitals notched 3 goals of the 42 shots on goal they attempted. They had 5 power play opportunities in this outing but didn't score a goal. Concerning the opposition, the Bruins had 6 power play attempts and used that advantage to score 2 goals. Washington conceded 17 shots on goal and the Bruins racked up 14 minutes in the box.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Columbus (+175)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here