Ottawa Senators vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 12/1/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ottawa Senators vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Friday, December 1, 2023

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Senators (-137) Blue Jackets (+114)

The Columbus Blue Jackets (7-13-4) are welcoming the Ottawa Senators (8-9-0) at Nationwide Arena on Friday. The moneyline on this game has the Senators at -137 while the Blue Jackets are coming in at +114. The over/under has been set at 7.

The Ottawa Senators will need a bounce back game after taking a 5-0 defeat against the Panthers their last time on the ice. The Senators had a rough night on the offensive side of the ice in the loss. While out there on the ice, they ended the night with no scores out of the 20 shots they put on net. They also had 6 chances on the power play but weren't able to make the most of them. Ottawa accounted for 94 penalty minutes in this game.

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When at even strength, the Senators have surrendered 44 goals while having 45 on the offensive side of the ice. Ottawa Senators opponents have recorded 59 power play opportunities (30th in the NHL) and have racked up 15 goals in those chances. When talking about their goal scoring prowess, the Ottawa Senators have notched 59 goals (27th in pro hockey) so far this year and have conceded 59. Ottawa has tried 545 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 10.8%. For the current campaign, they have scored 16 points and their points percentage is .471. The Senators thus far have had 516 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .886. Ottawa has 74 power play opportunities and they have notched 14 goals out of those chances, earning them a rate of 18.92%.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Joonas Korpisalo. During his career on the ice, Korpisalo has accrued 106 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .500. His save percentage sits at .904 in his 12,823 minutes in the crease. Korpisalo has had 6,727 shots against him and has recorded 6,080 total saves. Opponents have been able to score 647 goals versus Korpisalo in his career and his goals against average per game is 3.03. He has accumulated a mark of 99-86-25 and he was named the starter in 212 games. Korpisalo has participated in 233 contests over the course of his NHL career.

Their last time out, Columbus squared up with the Canadiens in an outing where the Blue Jackets ended up taking the loss by a tally of 4-2. They had 1 power play attempt in this one but weren't able to score a goal. The Blue Jackets scored 2 goals out of the 28 shots on goal they took.

Columbus has put up 731 shots (2nd in pro hockey) and has a shot percentage of 9.44%, while allowing the opposition 802 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 89.23% on the other teams 65 chances on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 89.8%. They have earned 73 chances on the power play and they have earned a power play percentage of 10.96%. The Blue Jackets have accumulated 61 goals at even strength and 8 goals (27th in pro hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have allowed 82 goals to be scored by of a combination of 75 goals at even strength and 7 goals while they had less men on the ice. Over the course of the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have tallied 69 goals, 18 points, as well as a points percentage of .375.

Across the ice you will find Elvis Merzlikins in the crease. He has gathered 4,603 saves out of the 5,080 shots taken, which gives him a rate of .906. Merzlikins has amassed a career mark of 60-70-25 and has played in 167 games. He has started in 154 games and has been on the ice for 9,138 mins. Merzlikins' rate of quality starts sits at 48.7% and he has earned 75 quality starts in his NHL career. His opponents are averaging 3.13 goals per game and he has allowed 477 goals in total.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Ottawa (-137)

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