The Columbus Blue Jackets (+105) head to face the Anaheim Ducks (-125) at Honda Center on Friday. The total is 6.5 (O: -130, U: +110)Columbus (21-39-7) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a 4-1 loss against the Kings yesterday.
Kirill Marchenko scored the only goal for the Blue Jackets. Daniil Tarasov saved only 23 of 27 shots against (.851%) after starting in the loss.
Anaheim (22-36-10) fell 6-3 to the Islanders on Wednesday. Kevin Shattenkirk was the leading goal scorer for the Ducks, netting twice. John Gibson only had 27 saves on 33 shots against (.818%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Ducks won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-3 victory in January, their third straight win against Columbus. Five players had two points for Anaheim. Jack Roslovic, Mathieu Olivier, and Nick Blankenburg were on the scoresheet for Columbus. Gibson saved 18 shots to earn the shutout win.
FACING OFF
Columbus is averaging just 2.61 goals per game for the season, 29th in the NHL. The visitors will look to take advantage of a Ducks team that is allowing 4.03 goals a game (32nd).
Meanwhile, Anaheim has found the net 2.53 times a game on average, 31st in the league, and will be looking to exploit the Blue Jackets’ weak defense, which is allowing opponents to score 3.76 goals per game (30th).Anaheim averages fewer shots (28.7) than most teams in the league, ranking 29th, while the team’s 9.0% shooting percentage is 29th.
With an average of 29.4 attempts, Columbus ranks 26th.Don’t be surprised to see a few power play opportunities for the Blue Jackets, as the Ducks have been penalized 4.41 times a game, fifth-most in the NHL, for an average of 11.26 minutes (fifth-highest). The visitors are averaging 3.60 penalties (22nd) and 8.07 penalty minutes a game (24th).
The Ducks’ 15.71% power play percentage is the second-worst in the league, while the Blue Jackets rank 27th with a conversion rate of 17.71%. Anaheim has been equally unimpressive at penalty killing, as the hosts possess the league’s fourth-lowest PK% at 73.01%. Columbus’ 76.73% ranks 20th in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 62 points this season, Johnny Gaudreau is the top skater for the Blue Jackets. He has 17 goals and 45 assists in 65 games. In the net, Joonas Korpisalo (14-11-3) is Columbus’ top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 3.05 GAA and a .913% save percentage. Elvis Merzlikins (7-17-2) leads the Blue Jackets in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 4.10 and a save percentage of .880%.Trevor Zegras leads the Ducks in scoring with 57 points.
He has 21 goals and 36 assists. Anthony Stolarz (5-6-0) has the best goals against average for Anaheim at 3.73. He has a save percentage of .897%. Gibson (14-25-8) has played the most games in net for the Ducks this season. He has a 3.90 GAA and a .901% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Columbus is 8-19-5 on the road this season. Anaheim is 11-17-3 at Honda Center this season. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets are 3-10 without a day off and 1-5 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Ducks are 7-6 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Columbus Blue Jackets (+105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
