Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins - 3/22/22 NHL Picks and Prediction

Pittsburgh Penguins (38-16-9) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (32-28-3)

Game Info: Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 7:00 pm (PPG Paints Arena)

Betting Odds: Pittsburgh Penguins -163 / Columbus Blue Jackets +350 --- Over/Under: 6.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Columbus Blue Jackets in Tuesday NHL Action.

The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this road contest with an overall record of 32-28-3. Through 63 games, the Blue Jackets are 5th in the Metropolitan Division. On the season, they have found the net 210 times, good for a rank of 9th among NHL teams. Heading into the game, Columbus is the 31st ranked defensive team, allowing opponents to score at an average rate of 3.68 goals per game. So far, the Blue Jackets have a strength of schedule rating of 5th in the league. When diving into their opponent-adjusted scoring margin, they come into this game as the 22nd ranked team in the NHL.

The Pittsburgh Penguins get set to host the Columbus Blue Jackets with an overall record of 38-16-9. This mark places them 2nd in the Metropolitan division. Through 63 games, the Penguins have scored 205 goals, giving them an average of 3.21. This output gives them a rank of 10th among NHL teams. On defense, Pittsburgh is the 5th ranked unit, giving up 2.57 goals per contest. So far, the Penguins have played the 28th toughest schedule in the league. And, when taking into account Pittsburgh's scoring margin relative to the quality of their competition, they come in with a power ranking of 7th in the NHL.

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Through 44 games, the Columbus Blue Jackets goal and overall scoring leader is Patrik Laine with 48 points. He has reached his mark of 25 goals, on a shooting percentage of 19.4%. So far, 16.0% of his goals have come during power play time. Behind him is Oliver Bjorkstrand, who has 26 assists to go along with his 22 goals. However, when on the ice the Blue Jackets are --21 in scoring differential. Columbus's top goalie is Elvis Merzlikins, who is giving up an average of 3.38 goals per game.

Through 57 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins' goal and overall scoring leader is Jake Guentzel, with 61 points. He has reached his mark of 29 goals, on a shooting percentage of 14.6%. So far, 21.0% of his goals have come during power play time. Behind him is Sidney Crosby, who has 39 assists to go along with his 22 goals. While on the ice, his offensive production has led to a plus-minus rating of +12.0. Pittsburgh's top goalie is Tristan Jarry, who is giving up an average of 2.28 goals per game. In his 49 games played, he has turned in 30 quality starts, giving him a quality start percentage above the league average.

On the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a per-game scoring differential of 0.6 goals. Even when playing at home, the team is winning games by an averge margin of 0.88 goals. Heading into their game with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Penguins have a 4-1 record over their past five contests. In these games, they have scored 17 goals, accounting for 61.0% of the overall scoring. A key to this recent success is the fact that they have outscored their usual output of 3.21 goals per game 3 times. Look for this to be a tight matchup with the Penguins picking up a win over an equally hot Blue Jackets unit.

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