New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 12/16/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Devils (-182) Blue Jackets (+150)

The Columbus Blue Jackets (10-16-5) will compete against the New Jersey Devils (15-11-1) at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. The line on this matchup has the Devils at -182 and the Blue Jackets are coming in at +150. The over/under is 7.

The New Jersey Devils were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 2-1 victory against the Bruins in their previous game. New Jersey accrued 2 penalty minutes in this matchup. The Devils didn't have their best offensive outing in the victory. They also had 2 opportunities with more players on the ice but weren't able to score. In the game, they were able to notch a goal on 2 of the 35 shots they attempted.

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Regarding their scoring capabilities, the New Jersey Devils have racked up 94 goals (8th in hockey) so far this season and have allowed 95. For the current season, the have a total of 31 points and their points percentage sits at .574. New Jersey is sitting with 88 power play opportunities and they have scored 28 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 31.82%. While playing at even strength, the Devils have surrendered 74 goals while having 66 on offense. New Jersey has attempted 868 shots and is the owner of a shot percentage of 10.8%. The Devils so far have had 796 shots attempted against them and have a save percentage of .881. New Jersey Devils opponents have earned 86 power play opportunities (25th in the league) and have a total of 21 goals in those attempts.

The man protecting the net in this game is Vitek Vanecek. The opposition has been able to score 371 goals versus Vanecek in his NHL career and his goals against average per game is 2.67. Vanecek has been in net for 149 games over the course of his professional hockey career. He has a save percentage of .906 during his 8,322 minutes guarding the cage. He has a mark of 85-38-14 and got the start in 140 games. From the beginning of his pro career to now, Vanecek has 75 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .536. Vanecek has seen 3,944 shots against him and has accrued 3,573 saves.

In their last game, Columbus faced off against the Maple Leafs in an outing where the Blue Jackets took home the victory by a tally of 6-5. They had 2 power play opportunities in this matchup and scored 1 out of those chances. The Blue Jackets earned 6 goals of the 35 shots on goal they tried.

The Blue Jackets have earned 80 goals at even strength and 13 goals (25th in pro hockey) while on the power play. Columbus has attempted 919 shots (11th in hockey) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 10.12%, while allowing the other team 1,076 shots. So far this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have 93 goals, 25 points, as well as a points percentage of .403. They have granted a total of 110 goals to be scored by of a combination of 97 goals at even strength and 13 goals while they had less men on the ice. They have recorded 87 power play opportunities and they have a power play rate of 14.94%. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 85.06% on their oppositions 87 chances on the power play, and their save percentage is 89.8%.

On the other side of the ice you are going to see Spencer Martin protecting the goal. He has tallied 1,310 stops out of 1,477 shots taken against him, which gives him a rate of .887. Martin is sitting with a career mark of 16-24-6 and has been in goal for 49 games. He has been a starter 45 contests and has played 2,771 mins. Martin's quality start percentage sits at 37.8% and he has qualified for 17 quality starts in his professional career. Teams are averaging 3.62 goals per game and he has surrendered 167 goals altogether.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Columbus (+150)

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