Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Rangers Prediction, 3/28/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Rangers

Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+269) Rangers (-344)

The New York Rangers (43-20-10) will compete against the Columbus Blue Jackets (23-42-7) at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The moneyline on this game has the Blue Jackets at +269 and the Rangers are opening at -344. The betting total comes in at 7.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to clean up some issues after taking a 8-2 loss to the Canadiens in their previous outing. Columbus earned 6 penalty minutes in this game. The Blue Jackets offense left a lot to be desired in this defeat. They also had 4 chances on the power play but weren't able to score a goal. In the outing, they earned a goal on 2 out of the 23 shots they put on goal.

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With regard to scoring goals, the Columbus Blue Jackets have tallied 195 goals (29th in the National Hockey League) over the course of the season and have conceded 284. For the season, they have earned 53 points and their points percentage is sitting at .368. Columbus steps onto the ice with 192 power play opportunities and they have added 37 goals out of those advantages, garnering them a rate of 19.27%. At even strength, the Blue Jackets have allowed the opponent to score 233 goals while scoring 158 as an offensive unit. Columbus has taken 2,141 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 9.1%. The Blue Jackets thus far have had 2,537 shots taken against them and have earned a save percentage of .888. Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have tallied 211 power play tries (23rd in pro hockey) and have racked up 51 goals in those attempts.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Elvis Merzlikins. For his career, Merzlikins is sitting with 67 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .489. He has a save percentage of .906 for his 8,192 minutes in the crease. Merzlikins has had 4,553 shot attempts taken against him and has amassed 4,125 saves. Opponents have racked up 428 goals against Merzlikins in his NHL career and his goals against average per game is 3.13. He has accumulated a record of 55-62-22 and he has started in 137 games. Merzlikins has participated in 150 contests over the course of his pro hockey career.

In their last game, New York opposed the Panthers in an outing where the Rangers ended up with the win by a tally of 4-3. They had 3 power play attempts in this contest but weren't able to notch a goal. The Rangers recorded 4 goals of the 42 shots on goal they were seeking.

The Rangers are sitting with 193 goals at even strength and 50 goals (13th in the league) while on the power play. New York has taken 2,313 shots (17th in the NHL) and has earned a shot percentage of 10.51%, while allowing their opponents 2,149 shots. This season, the New York Rangers have 243 goals, 96 points, in addition to a points percentage of .658. They have allowed 196 goals to be scored by of a combination of 157 goals at even strength and 39 goals while they were shorthanded. They have a total of 223 power play chances and they have a power play rate of 22.42%. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 80.88% on the other teams 204 power play chances, and their save percentage comes in at 90.9%.

Across the rink you will find Igor Shesterkin protecting the goal. Shesterkin is the owner of a career record of 95-41-14 and has played in 152 games. Shesterkin's quality start rate sits at 66.7% and he has 98 quality starts in his NHL career. He has accrued 4,222 saves out of the 4,573 shots attempted, which gives him a save percentage of .923. His opponents are averaging 2.40 goals/game and he has yielded 351 goals overall. He was named a starter in 147 games and has been on the ice for 8,788 mins.

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

Guy's Pick: Take New York (-344)

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