Columbus Blue Jackets vs Dallas Stars Prediction, 12/2/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Dallas Stars

Date: Thursday, December 2, 2021

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: Bally Sports Southwest

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+150) Stars (-182)

Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets (12-8-0) head to American Airlines Center on Thursday where they'll meet the Dallas Stars (11-7-2). The Blue Jackets open this matchup at +150 while the Stars are coming in at -182. The over/under opens at 6.

The Blue Jackets were on the wrong end of the scoreboard with a 6-0 loss to the Predators their last time out. The Blue Jackets had a rough night on the offensive side of the ice in the defeat. For the matchup, they took the loss without having netted any of the 27 shots they attempted. In addition, they had 2 chances with the advantage but weren't able to convert one of them into a goal. Columbus recorded 13 penalty mins in this matchup. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets was 43 and the Corsi against was 49 meaning they had a Corsi rate of 46.7%. Their Fenwick came in at 32 and the Fenwick against finished at 35, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 47.8%. They compiled 19 face-off victories at even strength and were beaten on 34 opportunities to win the face-off. Their starts in the offensive zone were rated at 39.5% and their PDO rating was 81.5 in this one.

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When it comes to their scoring, the Columbus Blue Jackets have earned 65 goals (12th in hockey) this year and have given up 65. For the season, they have scored 24 points and their points % is .600. Columbus has compiled 57 power play chances and they have scored 12 goals during those advantages, giving them a percentage of 21.05%. While at even strength, the Blue Jackets have surrendered 55 goals while scoring 53 on offense. Columbus has tried 610 shots and has a shot percentage of 10.7%. The Blue Jackets have had 688 shots attempted against them and hold a save percentage of .906. Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have earned 61 power play opportunities (19th in pro hockey) and have come away with 10 goals in those attempts.

The man protecting the net in this game is Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins has played in 74 games during his hockey career. He has earned a win-loss mark of 30-25-13 and he has gotten the start in 67 games. The opposition has scored 172 goals against Merzlikins in his career and his average for goals against per game is 2.55. Merzlikins has had 2,161 shots against him and he has 1,989 saves. His save percentage is at .920 during his 4,047 mins on the ice. From the beginning of his pro career to now, Merzlikins has accounted for 39 quality starts and his quality starts rate is .582.

Their last time out, Dallas faced the Hurricanes in an outing where the Stars earned a victory by a final of 4-1. They had a PDO at even strength of 126 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 31.4%. They had 2 chances on the power play in this one but weren't able to finish one of them with a goal. Their Fenwick rate was 29.2% by compiling a Fenwick of 21 and the Hurricanes earning a 51 Fenwick at even strength. The Stars netted 4 goals out of the 17 shots on goal they were seeking. Dallas had a 30.6% Corsi rate. This Corsi rating tells us the kind of game Dallas played and they played a solid game.

The Stars have earned 41 goals at even strength and 15 goals (8th in professional hockey) while on the power play. Dallas has attempted 588 shots (28th in professional hockey) and has earned a shooting percentage of 9.52%, while allowing their opponents 621 shots. On the season, the Dallas Stars are sitting with 56 goals, 24 points, as well as a points percentage of .600. They have earned 56 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 26.79%. They have accumulated a penalty kill rate of 80.00% on their opponents 65 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is currently 91.1%. They have allowed 55 goals to be scored by of a combination of 42 goals at even strength and 13 goals while they were shorthanded.

Across the rink you are likely to see Braden Holtby between the pipes. He has tallied 13,263 stops out of the 14,496 shots attempted against him, giving him a percentage of .915. Holtby has earned a career mark of 293-137-50 and has played in 500 games. He has started in 489 games and has racked up 28,689 minutes. Holtby's quality start percentage is 57.3% and he has accumulated 280 quality starting assignments in his NHL career. Teams are averaging 2.58 goals/game and he has relinquished 1,233 goals overall.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take Dallas (-182) and under 6 goals

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