Columbus Blue Jackets vs Florida Panthers Prediction, 4/20/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Florida Panthers

Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Location: BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+170) Panthers (-200)

Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets (15-22-9) travel to BB&T Center on Tuesday where they'll meet the Florida Panthers (28-12-5). The Blue Jackets open this game at +170 while the Panthers are priced at -200. The over/under is set at 5.5.

The Blue Jackets will need a bounce back game after taking a 5-1 loss against the Stars the last time they stepped on the ice. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets came in at 38 and the Corsi against when the final whistle blew was 57 which had their Corsi percentage coming in at 40.0%. When starting in the offensive zone they were at 53.1% and they had a PDO of 88.6 for this matchup. Columbus tallied 4 penalty mins in this matchup. The Blue Jackets had a below average offensive outing in this loss. Their Fenwick came in at 25 and the Fenwick Against sat at 44, giving them a Fenwick rate of 36.2%. They accrued 17 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 33 opportunities to gain puck control. Furthermore, they had 1 power play opportunity but weren't able to score a goal. For the matchup, they converted 1 out of the 22 shots they put on goal.

Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have earned 112 power play opportunities (31st in hockey) and have a total of 24 goals in those attempts. The Blue Jackets have had 1,464 shots attempted against them and hold a save percentage of .897. Columbus has tried 1,324 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 8.5%. When at even strength, the Blue Jackets have conceded 127 goals while notching 98 of their own. Columbus comes into the game with 102 power play opportunities and they have scored 14 goals out of those attempts, giving them a percentage of 13.73%. For the current campaign, they have racked up 39 points and their points % is .424. In reference to their scoring capabilities, the Columbus Blue Jackets have accumulated 112 goals (26th in the National Hockey League) so far this season and have given up 151.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Elvis Merzlikins. During his career on the ice, Merzlikins has 26 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .542. His save percentage is at .917 for his 2,926 minutes in the crease. Merzlikins has seen 1,527 shots taken against him and has gathered 1,401 total saves. Opponents have tallied 126 goals against Merzlikins in his pro career and his average for goals against per game is 2.58. He has accumulated a mark of 19-19-10 and was named the starter in 48 games. Merzlikins has participated in 54 matchups over the course of his NHL career.

In their last game, Florida faced the Lightning in an outing where the Panthers got the victory by a mark of 5-3. Florida earned a 46.7% Corsi rate. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that Florida had and they put on a good performance in this one. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 51.4% with a Fenwick of 37 and the Lightning having earned a 35 Fenwick at even strength. Their PDO at even strength was 103 and their oZS percentage was 40.0%. The Panthers converted 5 goals out of the 32 shots on goal they attempted. They had 3 opportunities on the power play in this contest and recorded 1 out of those chances.

Florida has put up 1,528 shots (1st in the NHL) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 9.29%, while allowing the other team 1,357 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 80.00% on their opponents 135 power play opportunities, and their save percentage sits at 91.1%. They have a total of 146 power play chances and they have accumulated a power play rate of 21.92%. The Panthers have 110 goals at even strength and 32 goals (8th in hockey) while on the power play. They have permitted 121 goals to be scored by way of 94 goals at even strength and 27 goals while they were shorthanded. On the year, the Florida Panthers have earned 142 goals, 61 points, in addition to a points percentage of .678.

Across the ice you are likely to see Chris Driedger in goal. Driedger holds a lifetime mark of 19-8-4 and has played in 35 contests. Driedger's quality start rate comes out to 71.0% and he has earned 22 quality starts in his pro hockey career. He has racked up 897 saves out of 965 shots attempted, giving him a save % of .930. His opponents are averaging 2.10 goals per game and he has relinquished 68 goals altogether. He has made the start in 31 games and has been on the ice for 1,945 mins.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take Florida (-200) and under 5.5 goals

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