Matchup: New York Islanders vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Broadcast: NBC4 WCMH-TV
At Nationwide Arena, the Columbus Blue Jackets (4-3-1) are set to go head-to-head against the New York Islanders (3-3-2) on Wednesday.
The New York Islanders faced a challenging loss in their previous matchup, falling 6-3 to the Panthers. In this game, New York committed 4 penalty minutes and was given 3 power play opportunities but failed to convert. Overall, the Islanders had a mediocre offensive performance, managing to score on just 3 of their 28 shots.
Regarding their scoring capacity, the New York Islanders have recorded 20 goals so far this season, ranking 31st in the NHL, while conceding 24 goals. With a total of 8 points this season, their points percentage stands at .500. The Islanders have had 26 power play opportunities, scoring 3 times, resulting in a power play percentage of 11.54%. At even strength, they’ve allowed 20 goals against while netting 17 themselves. They have taken 256 shots, holding a shooting percentage of 7.8%. On the defensive side, the Islanders have faced 215 shots, achieving a save percentage of .888. Their opponents have been awarded 13 power play chances, ranking them 32nd in the league, converting 4 of these attempts into goals.
The goaltender for this matchup will be Semyon Varlamov, who has notched 335 quality starts during his NHL career, holding a quality start percentage of .571. His save percentage stands at .916 over 35,269 minutes played, with 18,466 shots against and 16,908 saves made. Throughout his career, Varlamov has surrendered 1,558 goals, averaging 2.65 goals against per game, and boasts an overall record of 287 wins, 230 losses, and 69 overtime losses in 587 starts, having participated in 615 games overall.
In their latest game, the Columbus Blue Jackets faced off against the Oilers, securing a dominant 6-1 victory. In this match, they capitalized on 4 power play opportunities and scored once. The Blue Jackets were efficient, converting 6 of 25 shots on goal into goals.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have scored 29 goals while at even strength and accumulated 4 goals while on the power play, placing them 26th in the league for power play efficiency. With 234 shots attempted this season, their shooting percentage is 14.10%, while they have faced 229 shots against them. The Blue Jackets currently hold 33 total goals, giving them 9 points and a points percentage of .563. They have allowed 25 goals, consisting of 20 scored at even strength and 5 while short-handed. They have had 24 power play chances, translating to a 16.67% success rate, while boasting an 80.77% penalty kill rate against their opponents’ 26 power plays, and their save percentage is at 89.1%.
In goal for the Blue Jackets will most likely be Elvis Merzlikins, who has a career record of 69 wins, 81 losses, and 30 overtime losses through 194 games. His quality start percentage is 47.8%, with 86 quality starts recorded during his career. Merzlikins has successfully stopped 5,333 shots out of 5,899 faced, leading to a save percentage of .904, while opponents score an average of 3.20 goals per game against him, totaling 566 goals allowed. With 180 games started and a total ice time of 10,624 minutes, he has made an impact in the crease.
Who will come out on top in this evening’s NHL showdown against the spread or moneyline?
Free Prediction: Bet on Columbus ML (+128)
