Columbus Blue Jackets vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, 5/1/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Carolina Hurricanes

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2021

Location: PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+240) Hurricanes (-280)

Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets (16-25-10) head to PNC Arena on Saturday where they'll take on the Carolina Hurricanes (33-10-7). The Hurricanes open this matchup at -280 while the Blue Jackets are priced at +240. The over/under is set at 5.5.

The Blue Jackets were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 1-0 win over the Red Wings the last time they stepped on the ice. When starting in the offensive zone they were at 45.8% and their PDO rating was 100.0 for this game. They garnered 22 face-off wins at even strength and lost on 23 attempts to gain puck control. Their Fenwick came in at 48 and the Fenwick against finished at 46, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 51.1%. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets was 64 and the Corsi against when this game finished was 52 which means they had a Corsi rate of 55.2%. Columbus tallied 6 minutes in the box for this game. Moreover, they had 2 chances with extra men on the ice but weren't able to make the most of them. The Blue Jackets didn't have their best offensive outing in the win. While out there on the ice, they finished 1 of the 33 shots they attempted.

Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have tallied 124 power play tries (30th in the NHL) and have racked up 25 goals in those attempts. The Blue Jackets have had 1,639 shots attempted against them and hold a save percentage of .898. Columbus has taken 1,474 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 8.1%. When playing at even strength, the Blue Jackets let the opposition score 142 goals while scoring 103 on offense. Columbus has 109 power play opportunities and they have tallied 16 goals out of those tries, garnering them a percentage of 14.68%. For the season, they sit with 42 points and their points percentage sits at .412. In terms of scoring goals, the Columbus Blue Jackets have earned 119 goals (28th in the National Hockey League) over the course of the season and have allowed 167.

The man in goal for this game is Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins has played in 58 contests during his pro hockey career. He has an overall record of 20-21-11 and he was named the starter in 51 games. The opposition has been able to score 132 goals against Merzlikins in his pro career and his goals against average per game is 2.53. Merzlikins has had 1,641 shots against him and has amassed 1,509 total saves. His save percentage currently is at .920 for his 3,124 mins played. Throughout his time in hockey, Merzlikins has tallied 29 quality starts and his quality starts rate is .569.

In their last game, Carolina faced off against the Red Wings in an outing where the Hurricanes took home the victory by a score of 3-1. Carolina wrapped up this game with a 65.4% Corsi rating. This Corsi rating tells us the kind of game Carolina played and you could say that they played like a middle of the road team. They had a Fenwick percentage of 65.6% by compiling a Fenwick of 42 and the Red Wings finishing with a 22 Fenwick. Their PDO was 103 and their percentage of oZS was 48.5%. The Hurricanes notched 3 goals out of the 32 shots on goal they tried. They had 3 attempts on the power play in this outing but weren't able to finish one of them with a goal.

The Hurricanes have accumulated 119 goals at even strength and 41 goals (2nd in hockey) while on the power play. Carolina has tried 1,606 shots (4th in the NHL) and has a shot percentage of 9.96%, while allowing the other team 1,418 shots. For the year, the Carolina Hurricanes have tallied 160 goals, 73 points, in addition to a points percentage of .730. They have a total of 151 power play chances and they have a power play rate of 27.15%. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 84.38% on their oppositions 160 tries on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 91.7%. They have permitted 118 goals to be scored by way of 93 goals at even strength and 25 goals while they had less men on the ice.

On the other side of the ice you will find Alex Nedeljkovic between the pipes. He has accounted for 658 stops out of the 710 shots taken, giving him a save % of .927. Nedeljkovic is the owner of a career mark of 15-6-4 and has played in 26 contests. He has been a starter 24 games and has been on the ice for 1,515 minutes. Nedeljkovic's quality start percentage comes out to 62.5% and he has 15 quality starting assignments in his pro career. Opponents are averaging 2.06 goals per contest and he has relinquished 52 goals in total.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take Carolina (-280)

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