Chicago Blackhawks vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 2/25/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Blackhawks vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Thursday, February 25, 2021

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: NBCSCH

Odds/Point Spread: Blackhawks (+115) Blue Jackets (-135)

Joonas Korpisalo and the Columbus Blue Jackets (8-7-5) host the Chicago Blackhawks (10-6-4) at Nationwide Arena on Thursday. The Blue Jackets open this matchup at -135 while the Blackhawks are priced at +115. The O/U opens at 5.5.

The Blackhawks came out of this game feeling pretty good about themselves with a 6-5 win against the Blue Jackets in their last contest. The Corsi for the Blackhawks sat at 47 and the Corsi against was 37 which means they had a Corsi rate of 56.0%. Their offensive zone starts came in at 67.8% and their PDO was 102.8 in this one. Chicago garnered 10 penalty minutes in this matchup. The Blackhawks had a good offensive performance in the victory. Their Fenwick was 34 and the Fenwick against finished at 30, giving them a Fenwick percentage of 53.1%. They accrued 28 face-off wins at even strength and lost on 21 attempts to gain puck control. They also had 4 power play chances and were able to net 2 goals. In the outing, they scored on 6 out of the 34 shots they launched.

Chicago Blackhawks opponents have tallied 64 power play opportunities (8th in pro hockey) and have a total of 15 goals in those attempts. The Blackhawks have had 676 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .913. Chicago has attempted 609 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 9.9%. While playing at even strength, the Blackhawks have given up 44 goals while notching 39 when they are on offense. Chicago has compiled 63 power play chances and they have scored 21 goals out of those tries, garnering them a percentage of 33.33%. For the season, they have racked up 24 points and their points percentage comes in at .600. In terms of their goal scoring prowess, the Chicago Blackhawks have accumulated 60 goals (7th in the league) for the season and have surrendered 59.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Kevin Lankinen. Lankinen has participated in 14 games throughout his professional hockey career. He has an overall mark of 8-3-3 and was named the starter in 14 games. The opposition has scored 37 goals versus Lankinen in his NHL career and his goals against rate is 2.59. Lankinen has had 470 shot attempts against him and has garnered 433 saves. His save percentage currently is .921 in his 857 minutes played. For his career, Lankinen has compiled 9 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .643.

In their loss to Chicago, Columbus had 4 power play chances in this contest and tallied 3 out of those tries. The Blue Jackets tallied 5 goals of the 30 shots on goal they tried. Their PDO was 97 and their percentage of oZS was 32.0%. Columbus had a 44.0% Corsi rating. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Columbus had and it tells us that they played really well in this game. Their Fenwick rate came in at 46.9% with a Fenwick of 30 and the Blackhawks finishing with a 34 Fenwick.

The Blue Jackets are sitting with 49 goals at even strength and 10 goals (21st in the NHL) while having more men on the ice. Columbus has taken 577 shots (8th in the league) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 10.23%, while allowing their opponents 648 shots. So far this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have 59 goals, 21 points, as well as a points percentage of .525. They have a total of 50 power play opportunities and they have earned a power play rate of 20.00%. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 71.74% on their opponents 46 power play opportunities, and their save percentage currently sits at 89.5%. They have allowed 68 goals to be scored by way of 55 goals at even strength and 13 goals while they were shorthanded.

For the opposition you will find Joonas Korpisalo defending the goal. Opponents are averaging 2.88 goals/game and he has conceded 378 goals overall. Korpisalo's percentage of quality starts comes out to 48.8% and he has made 63 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has been a starter 129 contests and has accumulated 7,888 minutes. Korpisalo is sitting with a career record of 65-47-18 and has played in 141 games. He has accrued 3,631 stops out of 4,009 shots taken against him, giving him a save % of .906.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Chicago (+115)

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