Pittsburgh Penguins vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 1/21/2022 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Friday, January 21, 2022

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Penguins (-170) Blue Jackets (+140)

The Pittsburgh Penguins (23-10-5) are en route to Nationwide Arena on Friday where they will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (17-18-1). The moneyline on this contest has Pittsburgh at -170 and Columbus is coming in at +140. The total comes in at 6.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 5-3 win over the Golden Knights in their previous contest. The Penguins had a solid offensive performance and it showed in the victory. For the outing, they finished 5 out of the 37 shots they attempted. Furthermore, they had 3 power play opportunities and notched 1 goal. Pittsburgh garnered 6 mins in the box for this matchup.

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Pittsburgh Penguins opponents have totaled 95 power play opportunities (30th in the league) and have earned 10 goals in those attempts. The Penguins have had 1,136 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .915. Pittsburgh has tried 1,319 shots and has a shot percentage of 9.4%. When playing at even strength, the Penguins have conceded 86 goals while having 105 themselves. Pittsburgh has accumulated 105 power play chances and they have scored 19 goals out of those tries, giving them a rate of 18.10%. For the season, they have accumulated 51 points and their points percentage comes in at .671. Regarding their goal scoring prowess, the Pittsburgh Penguins have accounted for 124 goals (10th in the league) on the year and have allowed 96.

The man in goal for this game is Tristan Jarry. Opponents have notched 313 goals versus Jarry in his professional career and his goals against average is 2.52. Jarry has been in goal for 131 games during his hockey career. He has a save percentage of .916 in his 7,441 minutes between the pipes. He has a record of 78-36-11 and he started in 124 games. From the beginning of his pro career to now, Jarry has compiled 78 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .629. Jarry has seen 3,715 shots against him and has accrued 3,402 total saves.

In their last contest, Columbus faced the Panthers in a game where the Blue Jackets were on the wrong end of the score by a score of 9-2. They had 4 opportunities on the power play in this matchup and recorded 1 goal out of those attempts. The Blue Jackets recorded 2 goals of the 30 shots on goal they pursued.

The Blue Jackets are sitting with 98 goals at even strength and 15 goals (29th in pro hockey) while on the power play. Columbus has taken 1,061 shots (29th in professional hockey) and has a shot percentage of 10.65%, while allowing the opposition 1,252 shots. This season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have notched a total of 113 goals, 35 points, in addition to a points percentage of .486. They have recorded 93 chances on the power play and they have earned a power play percentage of 16.13%. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 78.00% on their opponents 100 chances on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 89.6%. They have allowed 130 goals to be scored by way of 108 goals at even strength and 22 goals while they had less men on the ice.

Across the ice you will find Elvis Merzlikins protecting the goal. Merzlikins has a lifetime mark of 34-30-14 and has been in net for 84 contests. Merzlikins' quality start percentage is 55.3% and he has qualified for 42 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has a tally of 2,241 stops out of the 2,446 shots tried, giving him a percentage of .916. Opponents are averaging 2.72 goals per game and he has allowed 205 goals overall. He has started in 76 games and has been on the ice for 4,529 minutes.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-170)

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