Columbus Blue Jackets vs New Jersey Devils Prediction, 10/31/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs New Jersey Devils

Date: Sunday, October 31, 2021

Location: Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+100) Devils (-122)

Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets go to Prudential Center on Sunday where they'll meet the New Jersey Devils. The Blue Jackets open this matchup at +100 while the Devils are priced at -122. The over/under is set at 6.

The Blue Jackets had a rough game after their 4-0 defeat against the Rangers the last time they stepped on the ice. The Blue Jackets could have played much better offensively in the loss. For the matchup, they walked away having not converted any of the 31 shots they put on net. In addition, they had 3 power play opportunities but weren't able to score. Columbus accrued 8 mins in the box in this matchup. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets was 49 and the Corsi against when all was said and done was 49 meaning they had a Corsi rate of 50.0%. Their Fenwick was 39 and the Fenwick against was 38, meaning the had a Fenwick percentage of 50.6%. They accumulated 23 face-off victories at even strength and were beaten on 12 opportunities to take control of the puck. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 56.4% and their PDO rating was 92.6 for this game.

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Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have earned 24 power play tries (13th in the league) and have a total of 6 goals in those attempts. The Blue Jackets have had 241 shots attempted against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .921. Columbus has taken 191 shots and has a shot percentage of 10.0%. At even strength, the Blue Jackets have given up 13 goals while getting 14 on the offensive side of the ice. Columbus is sitting with 22 power play opportunities and they have notched 5 goals out of those advantages, earning them a percentage of 22.73%. For the current campaign, the have a total of 8 points and their points percentage is .571. When discussing their scoring capabilities, the Columbus Blue Jackets have racked up 19 goals (21st in the NHL) on the season and have allowed 19.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins has participated in 65 games over the course of his NHL career. He has earned a record of 25-21-13 and he has started in 58 games. Opponents have scored 146 goals against Merzlikins in his professional hockey career and his goals against average is 2.46. Merzlikins has had 1,870 shot attempts against him and he has 1,724 saves. His save percentage currently sits at .922 for his 3,556 mins on the ice. Over the course of his pro career, Merzlikins has 35 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .603.

When they were on the ice last, New Jersey squared up with the Flames in a game where the Devils ended up losing by a score of 5-3. They had 4 opportunities on the power play in this contest and converted 1 goal out of those tries. The Devils converted 3 goals of the 30 shots on goal they were seeking. Their PDO at even strength was 95 and they finished this one with an oZS percentage of 48.6%. New Jersey wound up with a 48.5% Corsi rating. This Corsi rating is telling of the kind of game that New Jersey had and it tells us they had an average game overall. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 50.0% by amassing a Fenwick of 34 and the Flames having earned a 34 Fenwick at even strength.

The Devils have 11 goals at even strength and 3 goals (26th in pro hockey) while on the power play. New Jersey has attempted 157 shots (32nd in the NHL) and has a shot percentage of 8.92%, while allowing the opposition 137 shots. So far this year, the New Jersey Devils have earned a total of 14 goals, 6 points, in addition to a points percentage of .600. They have earned 13 chances on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 23.08%. They have accumulated a penalty kill rate of 66.67% on their oppositions 18 power play tries, and their save percentage comes in at 89.1%. They have allowed 15 goals to be scored by way of 9 goals at even strength and 6 goals while they were shorthanded.

Across the ice you will find Scott Wedgewood in the crease. His opponents are averaging 3.09 goals per game and he has yielded 120 goals altogether. Wedgewood's percentage of quality starts sits at 40.5% and he has made 15 quality starts in his pro career. He has made the start in 37 contests and his ice time sits at 2,330 minutes. Wedgewood has accumulated a career mark of 10-20-8 and has participated in 42 contests. He has racked up 1,090 saves out of 1,210 shots taken, which gives him a percentage of .901.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Guy's Pick: Take Columbus (+100)

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