Two teams on winning streaks, the Florida Panthers and the Columbus Blue Jackets take the ice at Nationwide Arena in an Eastern Conference tilt. The matchup will get going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 22, and fans at home are able to watch the game live on Fox Sports Ohio.
Florida Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus (-140) is currently the favorite over Florida (+120), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -110 money on the over and -110 on the under.
Netting moneyline bettors 1.9 units, the Blue Jackets are 41-33 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, the third-best in the Metropolitan Division in this young season, is a regression from the 50-32 record that the team posted during the 2016-17 season campaign. 38 of its 74 contests have gone under the total, while 35 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 24-13 SU at home this year.
Columbus has converted on just 15.1 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places the team in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 26th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.8 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Columbus has been penalized just 3.0 times per game overall this season, and 2.2 per game over its last five at home. The team has been forced to defend opposition power plays for just 6.0 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .921 save percentage and 28.1 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (33-26-5) has been the primary option in goal for the Blue Jackets this year. If the Jackets choose to give him a breather, however, head coach John Tortorella might go with Joonas Korpisalo (8-8-8 record, .902 save percentage, 3.23 goals against average).
Artemi Panarin and Thomas Vanek will each look to continue their strong seasons for the Blue Jackets. Panarin (68 points) has tallied 25 goals and 43 assists and has recorded multiple points on 13 different occasions this year. Vanek has 20 goals and 29 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 34 contests.
Florida is 37-34 straight up (SU) and has netted 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 71 regular season matches, 36 of its games have gone over the total, while 34 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the visiting team, Florida is 15-20 SU.
Florida has converted on 19.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 13th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Florida’s skaters have been called for penalties 4.3 times per game this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five on the road. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays a whopping 13.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
James Reimer (28.4 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Florida. Reimer has 18 wins, 20 losses, and five OT losses to his credit, while registering a .911 save percentage and 3.03 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Panthers, the offense will run through Aleksander Barkov (26 goals, 47 assists) and Vincent Trocheck (28 goals, 38 assists).
Florida Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone over in four of Columbus’ last five games.
Two offenses that have clobbered opponents’ goalies with shots, Florida has taken the league’s most shots on goal (34.6) while Columbus’s attempted the sixth-most (33.9).
Power plays and penalty kills may play a critical role in tonight’s matchup. The Panthers are 14-17 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 17-21 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blue Jackets are 18-16 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 36-26 in games where their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Columbus is 6-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 3-3 in shootouts.
Columbus has managed 8.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.5 takeaways per game (ranked 13th in the NHL).
One of the best at pressuring opposing offenses, Florida is ranked third in the league with 9.0 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher recently, as the team has averaged 11.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 12.4 takeaways over its last five.
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