Columbus Blue Jackets vs Arizona Coyotes Prediction, 11/18/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Arizona Coyotes

Date: Thursday, November 18, 2021

Location: Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ

TV: Fox Sports Arizona

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (-162) Coyotes (+133)

Karel Vejmelka and the Arizona Coyotes (2-13-1) host the Columbus Blue Jackets (8-5-0) at Gila River Arena on Thursday. The Blue Jackets open this contest at -162 while the Coyotes are priced at +133. The total opens at 5.5.

The Blue Jackets will head into their next game feeling good after earning a 5-3 win against the Red Wings the last time they stepped on the ice. The Blue Jackets had a solid offensive outing in this victory. While out there on the ice, they tallied a score on 5 out of the 38 shots they put on goal. They also had 3 power play attempts but weren't able to score. Columbus accumulated 8 penalty minutes in this contest. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets was 51 and the Corsi against was 45 which means they had a Corsi rate of 53.1%. Their Fenwick came in at 39 and the Fenwick against was 33, giving them a Fenwick percentage of 54.2%. They had 19 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 24 opportunities to control the puck. Their offensive zone starts came in at 55.6% and their PDO rating was 103.6 for this matchup.

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When talking about their scoring capabilities, the Columbus Blue Jackets have accumulated 42 goals (18th in the league) this year and have allowed 40. For the season, they have scored 16 points and their points percentage is sitting at .615. Columbus has 36 power play chances and they have tallied 7 goals out of those chances, earning them a percentage of 19.44%. When at even strength, the Blue Jackets have allowed the opponent to score 33 goals while notching 35 of their own. Columbus has attempted 399 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 10.5%. The Blue Jackets have had 444 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .910. Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have 38 power play tries (29th in pro hockey) and have racked up 7 goals in those chances.

The player in the crease for this game is Elvis Merzlikins. Opponents have been able to score 160 goals versus Merzlikins in his career and his goals against average per game is 2.53. Merzlikins has been involved in 69 games over the course of his NHL career. His save percentage sits at .920 in his 3,793 minutes between the pipes. He has a record of 27-23-13 and he was named the starter in 62 games. During his career on the ice, Merzlikins has recorded 36 quality starts and his quality starts percentage sits at .581. Merzlikins has had 2,011 shots against him and has amassed 1,851 saves.

In their last contest, Arizona faced the Blues in an outing where the Coyotes took home the win by a tally of 3-2. Their PDO was 99 and their oZS percentage was 45.9%. They had 2 opportunities on the power play in this outing and netted 2 goals out of those chances. Their Fenwick rate was 41.7% by way of having a Fenwick of 25 and the Blues finishing with a 35 Fenwick at even strength. The Coyotes scored 3 goals out of the 23 shots on goal they pursued. Arizona had a 42.9% Corsi rating. This Corsi rating is telling of the kind of game that Arizona had and you might say they have had worse games.

On the campaign, the Arizona Coyotes have earned a total of 26 goals, 5 points, in addition to a points percentage of .156. They have allowed 61 goals to be scored by of a combination of 44 goals at even strength and 17 goals while they were shorthanded. The Coyotes have tallied 19 goals at even strength and 7 goals (28th in the league) while having a power play advantage. They have a total of 42 opportunities on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 16.67%. Arizona has put up 399 shots (30th in hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 6.52%, while allowing their opponents 502 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 67.31% on the other teams 52 power play tries, and their save percentage comes in at 87.8%.

For the opposition you will find Karel Vejmelka protecting the net. He has gathered 279 stops out of 311 shots attempted against him, which gives him a percentage of .897. Vejmelka has compiled a career mark of 0-9-1 and has participated in 12 games. He has made the start in 10 games and his ice time sits at 584 mins. Vejmelka's quality start rate sits at 40.0% and he has earned 4 quality starting assignments in his pro career. His opposition is averaging 3.29 goals per contest and he has relinquished 32 goals altogether.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Columbus (-162)

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