New York Islanders vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 10/21/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New York Islanders vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Thursday, October 21, 2021

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Islanders (-137) Blue Jackets (+124)

Nationwide Arena is the site where Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets (2-1-0) will play the New York Islanders (1-2-0) on Thursday. The Islanders open this game at -137 while the Blue Jackets are coming in at +124. The O/U opens at 5.5.

The Islanders will head into their next game feeling good after earning a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks in their previous game. The Islanders had a good offensive performance and it was apparent in the victory. For the matchup, they converted 4 out of the 29 shots they attempted. Moreover, they had 2 power play opportunities but didn't net one. New York garnered 9 penalty minutes for this contest. The Corsi for the Islanders was 40 and the Corsi against was 55 which had their Corsi percentage coming in at 42.1%. Their Fenwick came in at 29 and the Fenwick against finished at 39, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 42.6%. They had a tally of 24 face-off wins at even strength and lost on 16 attempts to take control of the puck. Their starts in the offensive zone were rated at 28.2% and their PDO was 115.0 in this game.

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The Islanders have had 110 shots taken against them and have earned a save percentage of .891. When at even strength, the Islanders have conceded 10 goals while having 7 of their own. New York Islanders opponents have 9 power play tries (21st in hockey) and have a total of 2 goals in those attempts. For the current campaign, they have earned 2 points and their points percentage sits at .333. New York has taken 87 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 9.2%. In reference to their scoring, the New York Islanders have racked up 8 goals (23rd in hockey) on the campaign and have conceded 12. New York steps onto the ice with 9 power play opportunities and they have notched 1 goal during those chances, giving them a percentage of 11.11%.

The man in net for this game is Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov has participated in 529 games during his pro hockey career. He has earned an overall record of 251-194-60 and he has started in 505 games. The opposition has scored 1,327 goals against Varlamov in his professional hockey career and his goals against average per contest is 2.63. Varlamov has had 15,859 shots against him and has recorded 14,532 total saves. He has a save percentage of .916 in his 30,305 mins between the pipes. Over the course of his career, Varlamov has recorded 286 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .566.

In their last game, Columbus opposed the Red Wings in a game where the Blue Jackets ended up losing by a tally of 4-1. Their PDO was 90 and their oZS percentage was 37.9%. They had 4 power play chances in this outing and netted 1 goal out of those opportunities. They earned a Fenwick percentage of 40.0% by accumulating a Fenwick of 32 and the Red Wings finishing with a 48 Fenwick. The Blue Jackets earned 1 goal out of the 23 shots on goal they pursued. Columbus wrapped up this game with a 42.4% Corsi rate. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Columbus played and you might say they will look for a better outcome in their next outing.

The Blue Jackets have 8 goals at even strength and 3 goals (10th in the league) while on the power play. Columbus has attempted 74 shots (25th in the NHL) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 14.86%, while allowing the opposition 103 shots. For the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets are sitting with 11 goals, 4 points, and a points percentage of .667. They have a total of 7 opportunities on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 42.86%. They have a penalty kill percentage of 88.89% on their oppositions 9 power play opportunities, and their save percentage currently comes in at 93.2%. They have allowed 7 goals to be scored by way of 6 goals at even strength and 1 goal while they were shorthanded.

Across the ice you are likely to see Elvis Merzlikins in the crease. Opponents are averaging 2.50 goals per contest and he has allowed 143 goals overall. Merzlikins' quality start percentage comes out to 58.9% and he has accumulated 33 quality starts in his hockey career. He has made the start in 56 contests and has played 3,434 minutes. Merzlikins is the owner of a lifetime mark of 23-21-13 and has participated in 63 contests. He has gathered 1,659 stops out of the 1,802 shots tried, which gives him a save % of .921.

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

Tony's Pick: Take New York (-137)

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