The Florida Panthers (38-31-7) head to face the Columbus Blue Jackets (23-43-8), who will be looking to end their losing run, at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. Florida is playing their last of four games on the road coming off a 5-2 win over the Canadiens on Thursday.
The Panthers committed only two penalties in the game, yet still conceded a power play goal. Matthew Tkachuk led the Panthers with a hat trick. Alex Lyon only saved 18 of 20 shots (.900%) in the win.
Columbus lost for the third straight game, falling 2-1 (OT) to the Bruins on Thursday. Jack Roslovic netted the only goal for the Blue Jackets. Michael Hutchinson had a great performance with 29 saves (.935%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams have split their two meetings this season, the most recent of which was a 4-0 victory for the Panthers in December. Sam Reinhart led Florida with three points (1G 2A). Sergei Bobrovsky saved 22 shots to earn the shutout win.
FACING OFF
Florida is averaging 3.46 goals per game for the season, fifth in the NHL. The visitors will be looking to improve on that figure against a Blue Jackets team that is allowing 3.95 goals a game (31st).
Meanwhile, Columbus has found the net 2.68 times a game on average, 30th in the league, and the Panthers are allowing opponents to score 3.41 goals per game (23rd).
Florida averages more shots a game (36.6) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 9.5% shooting percentage ranks 24th. Columbus’ average of 29.7 attempts ranks 25th. Expect several power play opportunities for the Blue Jackets, as the Panthers are averaging 4.59 penalties per game, second-most in the NHL.
The visitors’ 11.47 penalty minutes a game ranks fourth-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.51 times a game (22nd) for an average of 7.97 minutes (26th).
The Panthers’ 21.96% power play percentage ranks 11th in the league, while the Blue Jackets are 25th with a conversion rate of 18.59%. When it comes to defending power plays, Columbus has the league’s 22nd-ranked PK% at 75.69%, while Florida is 27th at 74.16%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 101 points this season, fourth-most in the NHL, Tkachuk is the top skater for the Panthers. He is among the league leaders with 63 assists (7th) and has added 38 goals of his own. In the net, Bobrovsky (24-20-3) is Florida’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.07 GAA and a .901% save percentage.
Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 69 points. He has 19 goals and 50 assists. Joonas Korpisalo (15-13-4) has the best goals against average for Columbus at 2.89.
He has a save percentage of .915%. Elvis Merzlikins (7-18-2) has played the most games in net for the Blue Jackets this season. He has a 4.23 GAA and a .876% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Florida is 17-19-3 away from home this season. Columbus is 14-20-2 at Nationwide Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Columbus Blue Jackets (+200)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
