Bruins vs Blue Jackets Predictions, Picks, Tips 1/14/2020

Game: Boston Bruins vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: NESN

Odds/Point Spread: Bruins (-141) Blue Jackets (+128)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets (22-16-8, 6th in the Metropolitan Division) play the Boston Bruins (27-8-11, 1st in the Atlantic Division) at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. The odds on this matchup have the Bruins priced at -141 and the Blue Jackets are at +128. The over/under has been set at 5.5. The Bruins cover 58.7% of the time, having gone 27-19 SU. The Blue Jackets cover 47.8% of the time, going 22-24 straight up.

The Boston Bruins head into this game holding a record of 27 victories and 8 defeats, ranking them 1st in the Atlantic Division. During the year thus far, they have scored a total of 154 goals which ranks 5th in the Eastern Conference and 6th in the league. Their goal differential is +41, ranking them 1st in the league. The Bruins have compiled a total of 65 points, which ranks 1st in the league and 1st in the East. With regard to shots on goal, they have compiled a total of 1,440 which ranks 9th in the conference and 16th in the league. As a unit, Boston has collected a total of 1,032 hits which means they have an average of 22.4 per contest. They have compiled a total of 494 blocks for this season. The man looking after the net for Boston is Tuukka Rask from Caledonia, Ontario. He is 32 years old and has racked up 1,637 minutes in goal for the season. Rask is giving up an average of 2.27 goals per contest which has him placed 3rd among Eastern Conference goalies and 6th in the NHL among goaltenders. For the year, he's allowed 62 goals. His save % is .925 which has him placed 3rd among Eastern Conference goalies.

Related: NHL Totals Betting: Expert Tips and Advice

The Boston Bruins went home feeling good about their game by earning a 3 - 2 victory against the New York Islanders their last time out. The Bruins had a middle of the road offensive outing in the win. For this matchup, they earned a goal on 3 out of the 33 shots they put on net. Additionally, they had 2 power play opportunities and were able to notch 1 goal out of those opportunities. Boston racked up a total of 2 penalty mins in this game. The Corsi for the Bruins was 56 and the Corsi against was 66 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 45.9%. Their Fenwick sat at 40 while the Fenwick against was 50, telling us they have a rate of 44.4%. They earned 20 face-off wins and lost 21 tries to control the puck. Their starts in the offensive zone came in at 51.7% and they had a PDO of 101.6 in this game. Regarding their opponent, the New York Islanders earned 37 shots. They finished with 4 minutes in the box and they earned a total of 1 power play chance.

The Blue Jackets are the team on the other side of the ice and for the season they have 22 wins and 16 defeats. in respect to goal differential, they are sitting 10th in the conference and 17th in the NHL with -1. They have a total of 121 goals for the year which puts them at 13th in the East. Columbus has a save % as a team of .911 which has them sitting 6th in the NHL, which means chances to score may be limited. They have a shooting percentage of 8.1% ranking them 15th in the conference. In goal for Columbus is Elvis Merzlikins who is having an ok season by surrendering 2.70 goals against average and that has him ranked 13th among Eastern Conference goaltenders and 22nd in the NHL. In the 890 mins he's been on the ice, he's allowed 40 goals. He's earned a save % of .915, which ranks him 10th among Eastern Conference goaltenders and 21st in the NHL.

Related: How to Turn Hockey Bets into Big Profits

The Columbus Blue Jackets went up against the Vegas Golden Knights in an outing where the Blue Jackets notched a win by a mark of 3 - 0. For this outing, Columbus went home with a 42.2% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by earning a Corsi of 35 while the opposition earned a Corsi of 48. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 38.7% by way of having a Fenwick of 24 and the Golden Knights earning a 38 Fenwick. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Columbus played and you could say that they played like a middle of the road team. They had a PDO of 111.8 and their oZS percentage was 32.1%. The Blue Jackets scored 3 goals of the 22 shots on goal they attempted. They had 2 power play chances in this one and were able to convert 1 out of those opportunities. Concerning their opponent, the Golden Knights had 3 power play attempts but weren't able to take advantage of it. Columbus gave way to 27 shots on goal and the Golden Knights earned 4 minutes in the box.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Boston (-141)

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