Detroit Red Wings vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 5/8/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Detroit Red Wings vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Saturday, May 8, 2021

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Bally Sports Detroit

Odds/Point Spread: Red Wings (+130) Blue Jackets (-150)

Matiss Kivlenieks and the Columbus Blue Jackets (17-25-12) play the Detroit Red Wings (18-27-9) at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. The Red Wings open this matchup at +130 while the Blue Jackets are priced at -150. The over/under is set at 5.5.

The Red Wings will need a bounce back game after taking a 2-1 defeat against the Lightning in their previous contest. Their offensive zone starts came in at 48.1% and their PDO rating was 100.4 in this game. They earned 16 face-off wins when at even strength and lost on 20 opportunities to gain puck control. Their Fenwick came in at 23 and the Fenwick Against sat at 51, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 31.1%. The Corsi for the Red Wings came in at 33 and the Corsi against at the end of this game was 64 which means they had a Corsi percentage of 34.0%. Detroit compiled 8 mins in the box for this matchup. They also had 4 chances with extra men on the ice but weren't able to score a goal. The Red Wings had a below average offensive outing in the loss. In the matchup, they converted 1 of the 23 shots they put on goal.

The Red Wings have had 1,726 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .907. While playing at even strength, the Red Wings have conceded 128 goals while earning 101 on the offensive side of the ice. Detroit Red Wings opponents have 154 power play opportunities (20th in the NHL) and have tallied 33 goals in those attempts. For the current season, they sit with 45 points and their points percentage is .417. Detroit has taken 1,455 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 8.0%. In terms of their goal scoring prowess, the Detroit Red Wings have tallied 116 goals (31st in the NHL) for the year and have given up 161. Detroit skates onto the rink with 146 power play opportunities and they have notched 15 goals out of those tries, giving them a percentage of 10.27%.

The player in the crease for this game is Thomas Greiss. Greiss has participated in 315 matchups throughout his hockey career. He has compiled a record of 144-105-36 and got the start in 276 games. Opponents have notched 743 goals against Greiss in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 2.64. Greiss has seen 8,668 shots taken against him and has recorded 7,925 saves. His save percentage currently is .914 during his 16,910 mins between the pipes. Over the course of his time in hockey, Greiss has 154 quality starts and his quality starts rate sits at .558.

The last time they were on the ice, Columbus went up against the Predators in a game where the Blue Jackets earned a win by a tally of 4-2. Columbus wrapped up this game with a 41.4% Corsi rating. This Corsi rating tells us the kind of game Columbus played and it was an excellent showing for this outing. Their Fenwick rate came in at 41.9% by earning a Fenwick of 31 and the Predators finishing with a 43 Fenwick at even strength. Their PDO was 107 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 32.3%. The Blue Jackets netted 4 goals out of the 27 shots on goal they pursued. They had 2 opportunities on the power play in this matchup and scored 1 out of those opportunities.

The Blue Jackets have accumulated 109 goals at even strength and 18 goals (29th in professional hockey) while on the power play. Columbus has put up 1,565 shots (18th in the NHL) and has a shot percentage of 8.12%, while allowing their opponents 1,742 shots. On the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have notched a total of 127 goals, 46 points, in addition to a points percentage of .426. They have earned 116 opportunities on the power play and they have accumulated a power play rate of 15.52%. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 80.00% on their oppositions 130 power play opportunities, and their save percentage comes in at 90.0%. They have permitted 175 goals to be scored by of a combination of 149 goals at even strength and 26 goals while they had less men on the ice.

Across the ice you are likely to see Matiss Kivlenieks defending the net. Kivlenieks has compiled a career record of 1-1-2 and has participated in 6 games. Kivlenieks' quality start rate comes out to 50.0% and he has qualified for 2 quality starts in his career. He has compiled 123 saves out of the 137 shots tried, which gives him a save percentage of .898. His opponents are averaging 2.95 goals per game and he has conceded 14 goals altogether. He has started in 4 games and has played for a total of 285 minutes.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take Columbus (-150)

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