Tampa Bay Lightning vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 11/2/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds
Game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Date: Thursday, November 2, 2023
Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
TV: Bally Sports Ohio
Odds/Point Spread: Lightning (-200) Blue Jackets (+155)
The Columbus Blue Jackets (3-4-2) will try to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning (4-2-3) at Nationwide Arena on Thursday. The moneyline on this game has the Lightning at -200 and the Blue Jackets are sitting at +155. The total comes in at 7.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 4-3 defeat against the Kraken in their previous outing. Tampa Bay accounted for 6 minutes in the box in this game. The Lightning offense showed they have some room for improvement in the defeat. Furthermore, they had 2 opportunities with more players on the ice and were able to score 1 goal. In the game, they tallied a score on 3 of the 37 shots they put on goal.
When it comes to scoring goals, the Tampa Bay Lightning have accounted for 32 goals (7th in the NHL) over the course of the season and have surrendered 28. For the current campaign, they have scored 11 points and their points percentage is sitting at .611. Tampa Bay has accounted for 30 power play chances and they have notched 10 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 33.33%. At even strength, the Lightning let the opposition score 25 goals while earning 22 themselves. Tampa Bay has attempted 266 shots and is the owner of a shot percentage of 12.0%. The Lightning thus far have had 321 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .913. Tampa Bay Lightning opponents have amassed 22 power play tries (31st in the NHL) and have notched 3 goals in those chances.
The man in goal for this game is Jonas Johansson. Throughout his time in hockey, Johansson has accounted for 15 quality starts and his quality starts percentage sits at .417. He has a save percentage of .895 in his 2,257 minutes between the pipes. Johansson has had 1,150 shots taken against him and he has 1,029 saves. Opponents have tallied 121 goals versus Johansson in his professional hockey career and his goals against average is 3.22. He has compiled a mark of 15-14-7 and he has started in 36 games. Johansson has been in goal for 43 games over the course of his hockey career.
The last time they were on the ice, Columbus went up against the Stars in a game where the Blue Jackets ended up losing by a final score of 5-3. The Blue Jackets tallied 3 goals of the 25 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 3 chances on the power play in this contest but weren't able to score a goal.
This season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have earned a total of 23 goals, 8 points, as well as a points percentage of .444. They have granted a total of 30 goals to be scored by way of 25 goals at even strength and 5 goals while they were shorthanded. The Blue Jackets have earned 18 goals at even strength and 5 goals (19th in the NHL) while having a power play advantage. They have a total of 31 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 16.13%. Columbus has tried 292 shots (8th in professional hockey) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 7.88%, while allowing the opposition 294 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 83.87% on the other teams 31 power play chances, and their save percentage currently comes in at 89.8%.
Across the rink you will find Elvis Merzlikins defending the goal. Merzlikins has compiled a lifetime mark of 57-64-24 and has been in goal for 156 contests. Merzlikins' rate of quality starts comes out to 47.6% and he has accumulated 68 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has compiled 4,283 stops out of the 4,729 shots tried, giving him a save percentage of .906. The opposition is averaging 3.13 goals per game and he has surrendered 446 goals in total. He has made the start in 143 games and has played for a total of 8,536 mins.
Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?
Guy's Pick: Take Columbus (+155)
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Additional Resources:
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Tampa Bay Lightning -
