Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs Predictions, NHL Picks, Betting Tips 8/4/2020

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON

TV: NBCSN

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+128) Maple Leafs (-159)

Total/Over-Under: 6.5

Scotiabank Arena is the site where Frederik Andersen and the Toronto Maple Leafs (36-25-9, 3rd in the Atlantic Division) will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (33-22-15, 5th in the Metropolitan Division) on Tuesday. Columbus leads the series 1-0. The Maple Leafs open this contest at -159 while the Blue Jackets are coming in at +128. The over/under is set at 6.5. 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 step onto the ice with a record of 33 victories and 22 losses, which puts them at 5th in the Metropolitan Division. Thus far in the season, they have scored a total of 180 goals which is 15th in the East and 27th in the NHL. Their goal differential is -3, which puts them at 21st in the NHL. The Blue Jackets currently have a total of 81 pts, which is 12th in the NHL and 7th in the conference. In discussing shots on goal, they currently have a total of 2,272 which is 3rd in the East and 6th in the NHL. As a team, Columbus has compiled a total of 1,372 hits which has them averaging 19.6 per contest. They currently have a total of 950 blocks for the season. The man protecting the goal for Columbus is Joonas Korpisalo from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is 25 years old and has been on the ice a total of 2,126 minutes in net for the campaign. Korpisalo is conceding an average of 2.60 GAA which puts him at 10th in the Eastern Conference and 17th in the NHL. During this year, he's allowed 92 goals. He has a save % of .911 which puts him at 15th in the Eastern Conference.

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The Blue Jackets were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 2 - 0 victory against the Maple Leafs in Game 1. The Blue Jackets had an offensive game that was below their expectations in this win. In the matchup, they finished 2 out of the 35 shots they looked to score on. Moreover, they had 2 power play attempts but didn't get a goal. Columbus ended up with a total of 2 penalty minutes in this game. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets was 59 and the Corsi against was 58 which means they earned a Corsi percentage of 50.4%. Their Fenwick was 48 and the Fenwick against at even strength was 40, which earned them a Fenwick percentage of 54.5%. They took 18 face-off wins and were beaten on 30 of all total face-offs. Their starts in the offensive zone were rated at 45.7% and they had a PDO of 106.5 for this matchup. With regard to the opposition's stats, the Toronto Maple Leafs racked up a total of 28 shots. They had a total of 14 penalty mins and they earned a total of 1 power play chance.

The Maple Leafs will be the team across the ice and for the year they have 36 victories and 25 losses. With reference to goal differential, they are currently ranked 7th in the East and 9th in the NHL with +15. They have a total of 237 goals for the season which is good for 2nd in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has a save percentage as a team of .901 which currently has them ranked 18th in the NHL, meaning there should be some opportunities to score. They have a shooting percentage of 10.3% putting them at 5th in the Eastern Conference. In goal for Toronto is Frederik Andersen who is having a marginal campaign by surrendering 2.85 goals per contest and that ranks him 18th among East goaltenders and 37th among goalies in the NHL. In the 3,007 mins he has been on the ice this season, he's surrendered 143 goals. He has a save percentage of .909, which places him at 17th among East goaltenders and 36th among goalies in the NHL.

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In Game 1 Toronto earned a 49.6% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by having a Corsi of 58 while their opponent earned a Corsi of 59. They earned a Fenwick percentage of 45.5% by earning a Fenwick of 40 and the Blue Jackets earning a 48 Fenwick. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that Toronto played and the stats tell us that they didn't play well overall. Their PDO was 93.5 and they earned an oZS percentage of 54.3%. The Maple Leafs converted 0 goals out of the 28 shots on goal they pursued. They had 1 power play chance in this outing but weren't able to notch a goal. On the other side of the ice, the Blue Jackets had 2 power play attempts but didn't tally a goal. Toronto gave up 35 shots on goal and the Blue Jackets had a total of 2 minutes in the box.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Columbus (+128)

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