Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals Prediction, 12/4/2021 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals

Date: Saturday, December 4, 2021

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

TV: NBC Sports Washington

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+175) Capitals (-215)

Ilya Samsonov and the Washington Capitals (14-4-6) host the Columbus Blue Jackets (12-9-0) at Capital One Arena on Saturday. The moneyline on this contest has the Blue Jackets coming in at +175 and the Capitals are at -215. The total has been set at 5.5.

The Blue Jackets had a rough game after their 3-2 defeat to the Stars the last time they stepped on the ice. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets came in at 39 and the Corsi against at the end of this game was 63 which means they had a Corsi rate of 38.2%. Their starts in the offensive zone were at 41.9% and their PDO rating was 100.9 for this game. Columbus amassed 4 penalty minutes in this contest. The Blue Jackets had a rough night on the offensive side of the ice in this loss. Their Fenwick was 33 and the Fenwick against was 44, giving them a Fenwick percentage of 42.9%. They amassed 19 face-off victories when at even strength and were beaten on 27 attempts to win the puck. Furthermore, they had 2 power play opportunities but didn't get a goal. While out there on the ice, they tallied a score on 2 out of the 22 shots they attempted.

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Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have tallied 62 power play tries (22nd in the NHL) and have scored 10 goals in those chances. The Blue Jackets have had 725 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .906. Columbus has taken 632 shots and is the owner of a shot percentage of 10.6%. While playing at even strength, the Blue Jackets have surrendered 58 goals while getting 55 on offense. Columbus comes into the game with 59 power play opportunities and they have tallied 12 goals during those advantages, garnering them a rate of 20.34%. For the current campaign, they have tallied 24 points and their points % is .571. Concerning their goal scoring prowess, the Columbus Blue Jackets have notched 67 goals (14th in pro hockey) this season and have conceded 68.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins has participated in 74 contests throughout his professional hockey career. He has compiled an overall record of 30-25-13 and he has started in 67 games. Opponents have tallied 172 goals versus Merzlikins in his NHL career and his goals against average is 2.55. Merzlikins has seen 2,161 shots against him and has recorded 1,989 saves. His save percentage currently is at .920 during his 4,047 mins on the ice. For his career, Merzlikins has recorded 39 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is at .582.

When they were on the ice last, Washington played the Blackhawks in an outing where the Capitals ended up losing by a tally of 4-3. They had 1 power play opportunity in this one but weren't able to notch a goal. The Capitals had 3 goals out of the 28 shots on goal they were seeking. They had a PDO at even strength of 103 and their oZS percentage was 52.6%. Washington went home with a 53.9% Corsi rating. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that Washington had and you can say they had a mediocre outing. They had a Fenwick percentage of 54.7% by notching a Fenwick of 41 and the Blackhawks having earned a 34 Fenwick at even strength.

So far this season, the Washington Capitals have earned 85 goals, 34 points, in addition to a points percentage of .708. They have allowed 60 goals to be scored by way of 49 goals at even strength and 11 goals while they were shorthanded. The Capitals have accumulated 72 goals at even strength and 13 goals (13th in the league) while on the power play. They have a total of 72 chances on the power play and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 18.06%. Washington has attempted 740 shots (12th in the league) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 11.49%, while allowing their opponents 679 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 82.54% on their opponents 63 power play chances, and their save percentage currently sits at 91.2%.

Across the ice you will find Ilya Samsonov in the crease. Samsonov is sitting with a career record of 38-11-4 and has been in net for 57 contests. Samsonov's quality start percentage comes out to 48.0% and he has 24 quality starting assignments in his NHL career. He has racked up 1,381 saves out of 1,518 shots taken, giving him a percentage of .910. Teams are averaging 2.59 goals/game and he has surrendered 137 goals altogether. He has started in 50 games and has played 3,171 minutes.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Washington (-215)

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