The Columbus Blue Jackets (10-15-2) are on the road to take on the Florida Panthers (13-12-4) at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday. Columbus is coming off a high-scoring 6-5 overtime win over the Kings on Sunday. The Blue Jackets committed only two penalties in the game, holding Los Angeles without a power play goal.
Jack Roslovic led the Blue Jackets with two goals. Elvis Merzlikins allowed five goals on 38 shots against (.868%) in the win. Florida fell 5-2 to the Kraken on Sunday. Chris Tierney and Eric Staal each scored once for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky only had 27 saves on 31 shots against (.870%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Blue Jackets won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-3 victory in November. Johnny Gaudreau led Columbus with three points (1G 2A). Gustav Forsling and Nick Cousins each had two points (0G 2A) to lead Florida. Daniil Tarasov got the win, saving 47 of 50 shots (.940%).
FACING OFF
Columbus is averaging 2.96 goals per game for the season, 24th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Panthers team that is allowing 3.34 goals a game (21st). Meanwhile, Florida has found the net 3.34 times a game on average, 11th in the league, and the Blue Jackets are allowing opponents to score 4.07 goals per game (31st). Florida averages more shots/game (37.4) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 9.0% shooting percentage ranks 28th.
Columbus has struggled with stopping shots, ranking No. 29 with a team save percentage of .889%. Look for a few power play opportunities for the Blue Jackets, as the Panthers have been penalized 4.83 times a game, fourth-most in the NHL, for an average of 11.10 minutes (11th-highest).
The visitors are averaging 3.85 penalties (20th) and 8.74 penalty minutes a game (20th). The Blue Jackets’ 15.07% power play percentage is the second-lowest in the league, while the Panthers rank 26th with a conversion rate of 18.35%. In terms of defending power plays, Florida has the league’s 18th-ranked PK% at 77.68%, while Columbus is 19th at 77.53%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 31 points this season, Gaudreau is the top skater for the Blue Jackets. He has 10 goals and 21 assists in 27 games. In the net, Joonas Korpisalo (4-5-1) is Columbus’ top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.53 GAA and a .903% save percentage. Merzlikins (3-7-0) leads the Blue Jackets in games played in goal.
He has a GAA of 4.81 and a save percentage of .862%.Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with 37 points (8th in the league). He has 13 goals and 24 assists (10th). Spencer Knight (8-4-3) has the best goals against average for Florida at 2.64.
He has a save percentage of .919%. Bobrovsky (5-7-1) has played the most games in net for the Panthers this season. He has a 3.55 GAA and a .885% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Columbus is 2-5-1 away from home this season. Florida is 7-3-3 at FLA Live Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Over 6.5 (-120)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
