Columbus Blue Jackets vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, 3/22/2022 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+225) Penguins (-275)

The Columbus Blue Jackets (32-28-3) are en route to PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday where they will play the Pittsburgh Penguins (38-16-9). The moneyline on this game has Columbus at +225 while Pittsburgh is priced at -275. The over/under comes in at 6.

The Columbus Blue Jackets had a good night with a 5-4 victory against the Blues in their last game. Columbus amassed 8 mins in the box in this outing. Moreover, they had 4 chances on the power play and were able to score 1 goal. The Blue Jackets had a impressive offensive outing in the victory. In the game, they earned a goal on 5 of the 27 shots they tried.

Get all of our NHL Betting Picks

Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have 183 power play opportunities (14th in professional hockey) and have scored 40 goals in those attempts. The Blue Jackets have had 2,228 shots tried against them and have earned a save percentage of .896. Columbus has attempted 1,893 shots and is the owner of a shot percentage of 10.9%. When playing at even strength, the Blue Jackets have allowed the opponent to score 192 goals while getting 176 when they are on offense. Columbus steps onto the ice with 164 power play chances and they have added 30 goals during those advantages, giving them a percentage of 18.29%. For the current campaign, they have tallied 67 points and their points percentage sits at .532. With respect to their scoring capabilities, the Columbus Blue Jackets have racked up 206 goals (9th in the league) for the year and have given up 232.

The man in net for this game is Elvis Merzlikins. Opponents have been able to score 270 goals against Merzlikins in his career and his goals against average is 2.88. Merzlikins has participated in 103 games over the course of his hockey career. His save percentage sits at .912 for his 5,620 minutes on the ice. He has accumulated a win-loss mark of 43-36-16 and he was named the starter in 94 games. During his career on the ice, Merzlikins has accounted for 48 quality starts and his quality starts rate is .511. Merzlikins has seen 3,085 shots against him and has gathered 2,815 saves.

When they took the ice last, Pittsburgh faced off against the Coyotes in a matchup where the Penguins ended up with the victory by a final score of 4-1. They had 3 chances on the power play in this matchup but were not able to net one. The Penguins had 4 goals of the 49 shots on goal they pursued.

Pittsburgh has taken 2,199 shots (4th in hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 9.19%, while allowing the other team 1,914 shots. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 86.45% on their opponents 155 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is currently 91.5%. They have earned 193 power play opportunities and they have a power play rate of 20.21%. The Penguins have accumulated 163 goals at even strength and 39 goals (15th in the league) while on the power play. They have allowed 162 goals to be scored by way of 141 goals at even strength and 21 goals while they had less men on the ice. During this campaign, the Pittsburgh Penguins have earned 202 goals, 85 points, in addition to a points percentage of .675.

On the other side of the ice you will find Tristan Jarry patrolling the crease. Jarry has earned a lifetime mark of 90-41-13 and has been in net for 150 contests. Jarry's rate of quality starts comes out to 62.0% and he has 88 quality starting assignments in his professional career. He is sitting with 3,917 stops out of 4,278 shots attempted against him, which gives him a rate of .916. His opposition is averaging 2.54 goals per game and he has relinquished 361 goals overall. He has started in 142 contests and has played for a total of 8,543 mins.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-275)

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