Anaheim Ducks vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 12/9/2021 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Anaheim Ducks vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Thursday, December 9, 2021

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Ducks (-103) Blue Jackets (-118)

Nationwide Arena is the venue where Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-11-0) will take on the Anaheim Ducks (14-8-5) on Thursday. The Blue Jackets open this game at -118 while the Ducks are priced at -103. The total is set at 5.5.

The Ducks were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 2-0 victory over the Sabres in their previous game. When starting in the offensive zone they were at 31.3% and they had a PDO at even strength of 108.7 for this game. They accrued 22 face-off wins when at even strength and lost on 20 opportunities to control the puck. Their Fenwick was 33 and the Fenwick against was 33, giving them a Fenwick rate of 50.0%. The Corsi for the Ducks was 40 and the Corsi against was 57 which means they had a Corsi rate of 41.2%. Anaheim garnered 2 mins in the box in this contest. Moreover, they had 1 opportunity with more players on the ice but weren't able to score a goal. The Ducks didn't have a great showing offensively in the victory. In the game, they converted 2 of the 23 shots they put on goal.

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The Ducks have had 881 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .915. When playing at even strength, the Ducks have surrendered 65 goals while getting 68 on the offensive side of the ice. Anaheim Ducks opponents have 71 power play opportunities (18th in the NHL) and have earned 10 goals in those chances. For the current season, they have scored 33 points and their points % is .611. Anaheim has tried 856 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 10.3%. In terms of their scoring capabilities, the Anaheim Ducks have accumulated 88 goals (5th in the league) this season and have surrendered 75. Anaheim has tallied 75 power play opportunities and they have scored 20 goals during those advantages, garnering them a rate of 26.67%.

Patrolling the crease for the game will be John Gibson. From the beginning of his pro career to now, Gibson is sitting with 186 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is at .557. His save percentage is at .916 for his 19,668 minutes guarding the cage. Gibson has seen 10,137 shot attempts taken against him and has recorded 9,290 total saves. Opponents have been able to score 847 goals against Gibson in his pro career and his goals against average per game is 2.58. He has amassed a mark of 158-128-44 and he was named the starter in 334 games. Gibson has been involved in 342 games throughout his pro hockey career.

In their last contest, Columbus opposed the Maple Leafs in a matchup where the Blue Jackets ended up taking the loss by a mark of 5-4. They had a PDO at even strength of 103 and they'll go home having earned an oZS percentage of 57.6%. They had 2 power play chances in this matchup and scored 1 goal out of those chances. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 50.6% by way of having a Fenwick of 45 and the Maple Leafs having racked up a 44 Fenwick. The Blue Jackets tallied 4 goals out of the 32 shots on goal they tried. Columbus went home with a 55.2% Corsi rating. These Corsi statistics are telling of the type of game that Columbus had and it tells us that they played really well in this game.

Columbus has put up 712 shots (26th in professional hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 10.96%, while allowing their opponents 831 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 81.82% on the other teams 66 power play chances, and their save percentage currently sits at 90.4%. They have a tally of 62 chances on the power play and they have accumulated a power play rate of 20.97%. The Blue Jackets have tallied 65 goals at even strength and 13 goals (20th in hockey) while on the power play. They have allowed 80 goals to be scored by way of 68 goals at even strength and 12 goals while they were shorthanded. So far this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have accumulated 78 goals, 26 points, and a points percentage of .542.

On the other side of the ice you will find Elvis Merzlikins protecting the goal. Merzlikins has accumulated a lifetime mark of 31-26-13 and has participated in 76 games. Merzlikins' rate of quality starts is 56.5% and he has qualified for 39 quality starting assignments in his NHL career. He is sitting with 2,044 stops out of 2,225 shots attempted, which gives him a save percentage of .919. Teams are averaging 2.62 goals per contest and he has allowed 181 goals in total. He has made the start in 69 contests and has played 4,147 minutes.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Columbus (-118)

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