Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs Predictions, NHL Picks, Betting Tips 8/2/2020

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Date: Sunday, August 2, 2020

Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON

TV: NHL Network

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+105) Maple Leafs (-126)

Total/Over-Under: 7.5

Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets (33-22-15, 5th in the Metropolitan Division) head to Scotiabank Arena on Sunday where they'll meet the Toronto Maple Leafs (36-25-9, 3rd in the Atlantic Division). The moneyline on this contest has the Blue Jackets coming in at +105 and the Maple Leafs are at -126. The total is set at 7.5. The Blue Jackets cover 47.1% of the time, having gone 33-37 SU. The Maple Leafs cover 50.7% of the time, going 35-34 straight up.

The Columbus Blue Jackets head into this game holding a record of 33 wins and 22 defeats, putting them at 5th in the Metropolitan Division. During the season thus far, they have racked up a total of 180 goals which ranks 15th in the Eastern Conference and 27th in the league. Their goal differential is -3, putting them at 21st in the league. The Blue Jackets currently have a total of 81 pts, which ranks 12th in the league and 7th in the conference. In discussing shots at the opposition, they currently have a total of 2,272 which ranks 3rd in the Eastern Conference and 6th in the league. As a team, Columbus has earned a total of 1,372 hits which means they have an average of 19.6 per game. They currently have a total of 950 blocks for the season. The man protecting the net for Columbus is Elvis Merzlikins from Riga, Latvia. He is 25 years old and has played a total of 1,815 minutes minding the goal for the season. Merzlikins is surrendering an average of 2.35 goals per game which has him placed 3rd in the Eastern Conference and 6th in the NHL among goaltenders. Over the course of this year, he has surrendered 71 goals. He's earned a save % of .923 which has him placed 4th in the Eastern Conference.

Related: NHL Totals Betting: Expert Tips and Advice

The Columbus Blue Jackets were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 2 - 1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in their previous game. The Blue Jackets left a lot to be desired in terms of their offense in the victory. In this game, they netted 2 of the 22 shots they put on net. In addition, they had 2 power play chances but didn't net one. Columbus ended up with 6 penalty mins for this matchup. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets was 44 and the Corsi against was 47 which means they had a Corsi percentage of 48.4%. Their Fenwick was 30 while the Fenwick against was 34, telling us they have a Fenwick percentage of 46.9%. They took 28 face-off wins and were beaten on 23 of the face-offs. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 46.2% and they had a PDO at even strength of 105.8 in this one. In terms of their opponent's stats, the Vancouver Canucks tallied 27 shots. They ended the game with 4 minutes in the box and they notched 3 power play opportunities.

The Maple Leafs will be the team on the other side of the ice and for the season they sit with 36 victories and 25 defeats. In connection with goal differential, they currently sit 7th in the conference and 9th in the NHL with +15. They have earned a total of 237 goals for the year which has them sitting at 2nd in the East. Toronto has a team save percentage of .901 which currently has them ranked 18th in the NHL, which tells us there should be some chances to score. They are shooting 10.3% which is good for 5th in the East. In net for Toronto is Frederik Andersen who is having a marginal season by giving up 2.85 goals against average and that has him 18th among Eastern Conference goalies and 37th in the NHL among goaltenders. In the 3,007 minutes he has been on the ice, he's allowed 143 goals. He's earned a save percentage of .909, which has him ranking 17th among Eastern Conference goalies and 36th in the NHL among goaltenders.

Related: How to Turn Hockey Bets into Big Profits

The Toronto Maple Leafs squared up with the Tampa Bay Lightning in an outing where the Maple Leafs got the win by a final score of 2 - 1. In this game, Toronto earned a 50.5% Corsi rating. They wound up with that percentage by having a Corsi of 50 and the other team having a Corsi of 49. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 53.9% with a Fenwick of 41 and the Lightning having a 35 Fenwick. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Toronto had and you can safely assume that they'll look to improve in their next outing. They had a PDO of 95.7 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 66.0%. The Maple Leafs notched 2 goals of the 36 shots on goal they tried. They had 5 power play attempts in this game and scored 2 out of those tries. As for their opponent, the Lightning had 4 power play attempts but weren't able to take advantage of it. Toronto gave way to 33 shots on goal and the Lightning had a total of 10 penalty mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take Columbus (+105)

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