Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers - 4/3/21 NHL Picks and Prediction
Photo by Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
Florida Panthers (24-9-4) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (14-16-8)
Game Info: Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 7:00 pm (BB&T Center)
Betting Odds: Florida Panthers -150 / Columbus Blue Jackets +125 --- Over/Under: 6.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers meet in NHL action from the BB&T Center on Saturday night.
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be looking to rebound from a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last outing. Oliver Bjorkstrand leads Columbus in scoring with 30 points including 13 goals and 17 assists, both team highs. Cam Atkinson has 25 points with 13 goals of his own while Jack Roslovic has 22 points with 16 assists. Seth Jones has 19 points with 15 assists while Patrik Laine, Boone Jenner and Zach Werenski all have 17 points this season. As a team, Columbus is averaging 2.5 goals per game on 28.4 shots per game with a 14.8% success rate on the power play while allowing 3.1 goals per game on 31.5 shots against per game with a 75.9% kill rate on the penalty kill this season.
The Florida Panthers will look to build on a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings in their last matchup. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers in scoring with 42 points including a team high 28 assists while Aleksander Barkov has 37 points with 13 goals and 24 assists. Carter Verhaeghe Has 32 points with a team high 17 goals while Patric Hornqvist has 25 points and Keith Yandle has 21 points with 18 assists this season. As a team Florida is averaging 3.3 goals per game on 34.4 shots per game with a 24.8 conversion percentage on the power play while giving up 2.7 goals per game on 30.4 shots against with an 80.2% success rate on the penalty kill this season.
Columbus is 1-5 in the last six games overall and 5-11 in their last 16 games as an underdog while the under is 5-1 in their last six games against the team with a winning record. Florida is 4-0 in their last four games overall and 5-1 in their last six home games while the under is 4-1 in their last five games following a win. Columbus is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings between these two teams.
I get the case that could be made for Columbus here as the Blue Jackets are a tough, physical, gritty team that doesn't make life easy on anybody. However, Florida has won three of the four meetings already this season, and all four of those games were in Columbus to begin with. Florida plays much better at home as it is, and we're getting a pretty decent price all things considered. I'll lay the juice with Florida in this spot.
Chris’s Pick Florida -150
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
Mitch's Take...
