In their first head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers face off at the BB&T Center for an Eastern Conference showdown. The match gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 11 and it can be caught live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Florida Panthers Odds
Both of these teams posted winning records in the 2017-18 season. The Columbus Blue Jackets were 45-37 straight up (SU) last season, while the Florida Panthers finished 44-38.
The visiting Blue Jackets managed to score 2.95 goals per game on offense (33.6 shot attempts per game), while the defense gave up 2.89 goals per contest. Opponents attempted 31.7 shots per game against the Blue Jackets last year.
Fueled by 34.4 offensive shot attempts per outing, the Panthers recorded 3.02 goals/game. The defense allowed 34.6 shots and 3.00 goals per game.
In terms of the power play a year ago, the Panthers outperformed the Blue Jackets on both offense and defense. They scored on 18.9 percent of their extra-man advantages and killed off 80.3 percent of the power plays their defense faced. On the other hand, the Blue Jackets found the back of the goal on 17.0 percent of their power play chances during the 2017-18 season. They successfully killed off 75.0 percent of all opposition power plays.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Florida Panthers Free Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
Columbus was 6-4 in games decided by a shootout last season. Florida was 3-3 in shootouts.
Columbus skaters recorded 21.8 hits per game last season, while the Panthers logged 20.2 hits per matchup.
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