Pittsburgh Penguins vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 11/15/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Friday, November 15, 2024

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: NBC4 WCMH-TV

Odds/Point Spread: Penguins (-160) Blue Jackets (+132)

The Pittsburgh Penguins (6-9-3) are headed to Nationwide Arena on Friday where they will try to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets (5-8-2). The line on this matchup has the Penguins at -160 while the Blue Jackets are sitting at +132. The total has been set at 6.5.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to clean up some issues after taking a 3-2 defeat against the Red Wings in their previous outing. The Penguins offense left a lot to be desired in this loss. In the game, they tallied a score on 2 of the 33 shots they looked to score on. In addition, they had 2 power play opportunities but weren't able to make the most of them. Pittsburgh amassed 4 penalty mins for this matchup.

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Pertaining to their scoring capabilities, the Pittsburgh Penguins have tallied 49 goals (14th in the National Hockey League) so far this season and have allowed 69. For the current campaign, they have accumulated 15 points and their points percentage sits at .417. Pittsburgh is sitting with 49 power play chances and they have notched 9 goals out of those tries, giving them a rate of 18.37%. While at even strength, the Penguins have given up 60 goals while having 40 of their own. Pittsburgh has attempted 567 shots and holds a shot percentage of 8.6%. The Penguins have had 588 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .883. Pittsburgh Penguins opponents have recorded 51 power play opportunities (12th in hockey) and have a total of 9 goals in those attempts.

The man in goal for this game is Alex Nedeljkovic. Nedeljkovic has taken the ice for 150 games over the course of his hockey career. He has a record of 62-48-25 and got the start in 133 games. Opponents have been able to score 415 goals versus Nedeljkovic in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 3.17. Nedeljkovic has had 4,340 shots against him and he has 3,925 saves. He has a save percentage of .904 during his 7,845 mins between the pipes. Over the course of his pro career, Nedeljkovic has earned 69 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .519.

Their last time out, Columbus faced off against the Kraken in a matchup where the Blue Jackets went home in defeat by a mark of 5-2. They had 1 power play chance in this matchup but weren't able to finish one of them with a goal. The Blue Jackets scored 2 goals of the 40 shots on goal they attempted.

Columbus has tried 474 shots (15th in the league) and has earned a shot percentage of 9.70%, while allowing the other team 434 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 81.40% on the other teams 43 power play opportunities, and their save percentage sits at 87.6%. They have a total of 38 power play opportunities and they have earned a power play percentage of 18.42%. The Blue Jackets have scored 39 goals at even strength and 7 goals (27th in hockey) while on the power play. They have allowed 54 goals to be scored by way of 46 goals at even strength and 8 goals while they were shorthanded. For the year, the Columbus Blue Jackets have accumulated 46 goals, 12 points, and a points percentage of .400.

Across the ice you are likely to see Elvis Merzlikins protecting the goal. The opposition is averaging 3.34 goals per game and he has surrendered 582 goals altogether. Merzlikins' rate of quality starts is 47.6% and he has qualified for 88 quality starting assignments in his pro hockey career. He has made the start in 185 games and his ice time sits at 10,470 mins. Merzlikins is the owner of a career mark of 70-84-31 and has been in net for 199 games. He has a tally of 5,468 saves out of the 6,050 shots attempted against him, giving him a save percentage of .904.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-160)

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