Columbus Blue Jackets (23-43-8) vs Florida Panthers (38-31-7)
Game Info: Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 7:00 pm (Nationwide Arena)
Betting Odds: Columbus Blue Jackets +175 / Florida Panthers -222 --- Over/Under: 6.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets meet Saturday in NHL action at the Nationwide Arena. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Florida Panthers are averaging 3.4 goals per game and are scoring on 22.1 percent of their power play opportunities. Matthew Tkachuk leads Florida with 38 goals, Brandon Montour has 50 assists and Carter Verhaeghe has 255 shots on goal. Defensively, the Florida Panthers are allowing 3.4 goals per game and are killing 74.4 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Sergei Bobrovsky has given up 145 goals on 1,466 shots faced, and Spencer Knight has allowed 62 goals on 627 shots.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are averaging 2.7 goals per game and are scoring on 19.4 percent of their power play opportunities. Boone Jenner leads Columbus with 25 goals, Johnny Gaudreau has 50 assists and Patrik Laine has 184 shots on goal. Defensively, the Columbus Blue Jackets are allowing 4 goals per game and are killing 75.6 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Joonas Korpisalo has allowed 82 goals on 926 shots faced, and Elvis Merzlikins has given up 110 goals on 889 shots.
The Panthers are 5-2 in their last 7 games following a win and 40-13 in their last 53 vs. a team with a losing record. The Blue Jackets are 4-9 in their last 13 home games and 16-40 in their last 56 overall. The under is 1-0-3 in Panthers last 4 overall. The over is 6-1 in Blue Jackets last 7 overall. The Panthers are 5-15 in the last 20 meetings in Columbus and 9-2 in the last 11 meetings. The home team is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings. The favorite is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings.
The Florida Panthers have gotten a couple of strong wins this week, and they need to keep winning if they're going to keep their wild card hopes alive. The Columbus Blue Jackets have been fade material all season, and there's not a lot of reason to get up for this one either. Give me the motivated Panthers, and I'll lay the PL for max betting value.
Randy’s Pick Florida Panthers -1.5
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds