Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 1/7/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Saturday, January 7, 2023

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Hurricanes (-260) Blue Jackets (+210)

The Columbus Blue Jackets (11-24-2) are welcoming the Carolina Hurricanes (25-8-6) at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. The odds on this game have Carolina at -260 while Columbus is sitting at +210. The total is 6.

The Carolina Hurricanes will look to clean up some issues after taking a 5-3 defeat to the Predators their last time on the ice. Carolina accounted for 8 penalty mins for this matchup. In addition, they had 4 chances on the power play and were able to notch 1 goal. The Hurricanes had an average offensive output in the defeat. In the game, they converted 3 of the 67 shots they attempted.

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With respect to their scoring, the Carolina Hurricanes have notched 121 goals (18th in the NHL) on the campaign and have conceded 104. For the current campaign, they sit with 56 points and their points percentage is sitting at .718. Carolina comes into tonight with 136 power play opportunities and they have added 26 goals during those chances, giving them a percentage of 19.12%. While playing at even strength, the Hurricanes have surrendered 77 goals while earning 95 themselves. Carolina has taken 1,392 shots and holds a shot percentage of 8.7%. The Hurricanes have had 1,028 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .899. Carolina Hurricanes opponents have tallied 136 power play opportunities (8th in the league) and have scored 27 goals in those chances.

The man protecting the net in this game is Pyotr Kochetkov. Opponents have been able to score 42 goals against Kochetkov in his professional hockey career and his goals against rate is 2.23. Kochetkov has been in net for 20 games throughout his NHL career. He has a save percentage of .917 in his 1,132 minutes in the crease. He has earned a win-loss mark of 13-3-4 and was named the starter in 18 games. For his professional hockey career, Kochetkov has tallied 12 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .667. Kochetkov has had 504 shot attempts taken against him and he has 462 saves.

When they were on the ice last, Columbus faced off against the Capitals in a game where the Blue Jackets took a loss by a score of 6-2. They had 1 opportunity on the power play in this contest but weren't able to notch a goal. The Blue Jackets recorded 2 goals of the 27 shots on goal they took.

The Blue Jackets have scored 81 goals at even strength and 15 goals (32nd in pro hockey) while having more men on the ice. Columbus has tried 1,078 shots (29th in pro hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 8.91%, while allowing the other team 1,308 shots. On the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have accounted for 96 goals, 24 points, in addition to a points percentage of .324. They have allowed 147 goals to be scored by way of 119 goals at even strength and 28 goals while they had less men on the ice. They have a total of 99 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 15.15%. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 76.67% on the other teams 120 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage is 88.8%.

Across the ice you will find Joonas Korpisalo in net. He has accrued 5,088 saves out of 5,638 shots attempted, giving him a save % of .902. Korpisalo has accumulated a lifetime mark of 81-74-22 and has played in 198 games. He has been a starter 178 contests and has played for a total of 10,830 mins. Korpisalo's percentage of quality starts comes out to 47.8% and he has 85 quality starts in his pro hockey career. His opponents are averaging 3.05 goals per game and he has given up 550 goals in total.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Carolina (-260)

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