Columbus Blue Jackets vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, 12/15/2022 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Date: Thursday, December 15, 2022

Location: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+255) Lightning (-320)

Amalie Arena is the location where the Tampa Bay Lightning (18-9-1) will attempt to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets (10-16-2) on Thursday. The line on this contest has the Blue Jackets at +255 while the Lightning are at -320. The betting total comes in at 6.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 4-0 loss to the Panthers in their previous game. Columbus amassed 6 penalty mins in this contest. The Blue Jackets didn't have their best offensive outing in the loss. Moreover, they had 3 power play tries but weren't able to convert one of them into a goal. While out there on the ice, they ended the night with no scores out of the 22 shots they put on net.

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In relation to scoring goals, the Columbus Blue Jackets have earned 80 goals (26th in the league) for the season and have conceded 114. For the season, they have scored 22 points and their points percentage sits at .393. Columbus comes into the game with 78 power play chances and they have added 11 goals out of those advantages, giving them a rate of 14.10%. When at even strength, the Blue Jackets have given up 94 goals while scoring 69 on the offensive side of the ice. Columbus has attempted 822 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 9.7%. The Blue Jackets so far have had 994 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .885. Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have earned 92 power play opportunities (20th in the NHL) and have tallied 20 goals in those attempts.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins has participated in 134 contests over the course of his NHL career. He has earned an overall record of 52-52-20 and he started in 121 games. Opponents have racked up 373 goals versus Merzlikins in his pro career and his goals against average per game is 3.05. Merzlikins has had 4,067 shots taken against him and has recorded 3,694 saves. He has a save percentage of .908 in his 7,337 minutes played. From the beginning of his pro career to now, Merzlikins has tallied 59 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .488.

In their last contest, Tampa Bay faced the Kraken in a matchup where the Lightning ended up with the win by a final score of 6-2. They had 3 opportunities on the power play in this outing and recorded 1 out of those opportunities. The Lightning netted 6 goals of the 30 shots on goal they tried.

During this campaign, the Tampa Bay Lightning have earned 101 goals, 37 points, as well as a points percentage of .661. They have granted a total of 83 goals to be scored by of a combination of 64 goals at even strength and 19 goals while they were shorthanded. The Lightning have scored 72 goals at even strength and 29 goals (4th in the league) while having a power play advantage. They have earned 104 chances on the power play and they have earned a power play rate of 27.88%. Tampa Bay has taken 892 shots (20th in the league) and has a shooting percentage of 11.32%, while allowing the opposition 868 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 80.41% on their oppositions 97 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage currently sits at 90.4%.

On the other side of the ice you will find Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes. He has tallied 10,727 saves out of 11,674 shots attempted, which gives him a rate of .919. Vasilevskiy is the owner of a lifetime record of 241-109-25 and has been in goal for 386 contests. He has started in 376 contests and his ice time sits at 22,646 minutes. Vasilevskiy's quality start percentage sits at 57.4% and he has accumulated 216 quality starts in his pro hockey career. The opposition is averaging 2.51 goals/game and he has relinquished 947 goals in total.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Columbus (+255)

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