Date: Friday, December 27, 2024
Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Broadcast: NBC4 WCMH-TV
Betting Odds/Point Spread: Bruins (-160) Blue Jackets (+135)
- Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
- Get real-time live scores & latest betting odds here!
The Boston Bruins (18-13-4) are set to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-15-6) at Nationwide Arena this Friday. The moneyline shows the Bruins favored at -160, with the Blue Jackets at +135. The total points for this game have been established at 6.
In their latest outing, the Boston Bruins secured a 3-1 victory against the Buffalo Sabres. Although they won, their offensive display was modest; they scored 3 goals from 19 shots. The Bruins had 3 opportunities on the power play, converting 1 into a goal, and spent 6 minutes in the penalty box during this match.
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Analyzing the Bruins’ scoring, they have netted a total of 91 goals this season, placing them 26th in the NHL, and allowing 108 goals against. They hold a season record of 40 points with a points percentage of .571. Boston has had 121 chances on the power play, successfully scoring 16, giving them a percentage of 13.22%. At even strength, Boston has allowed 82 goals while scoring 75. The Bruins have launched 975 shots, achieving a shooting percentage of 9.3%. Defensively, they have faced 952 shots against, with a save percentage of .887. Their opponents have had 116 power play opportunities (ranked 4th in the league) and scored 26 goals from those chances.
The Bruins’ netminder for this clash will be Jeremy Swayman. Throughout his career, Swayman has faced 369 goals against him, with a goals against average of 2.90. He’s participated in 156 NHL games, maintaining a save percentage of .914 over 7,629 minutes of play. His overall record stands at 90-43-18, with 149 games as the starting goalie, achieving 92 quality starts and a quality start percentage of .617. He has faced 4,276 shots, making 3,907 saves.
On the flip side, the Columbus Blue Jackets recently faced off against the Philadelphia Flyers, where they fell 5-4. They had just 1 power play opportunity in that match but weren’t able to capitalize. Columbus managed to score 4 goals from 25 shots on goal.
Columbus has taken an impressive 1,032 shots this season (6th in the league) with a shooting accuracy of 10.76%. They’ve allowed 987 shots and maintain a penalty kill success rate of 73.53% against their opponents’ 102 power play attempts. The Blue Jackets have a save percentage of 87.5% and have scored 94 goals during even strength situations, along with 17 goals (23rd in the NHL) on the power play. They have conceded a total of 123 goals, attributable to 96 even-strength goals and 27 while shorthanded. Currently, Columbus has compiled 111 goals, totaling 32 points with a points percentage of .471.
In goal for the Blue Jackets will be Elvis Merzlikins, who has made a total of 5,811 saves out of 6,438 shots faced, earning a save percentage of .903. Merzlikins has a career record of 78-88-33 across 213 games and has started in 199 of them, spending a total of 10,505 minutes on the ice. His quality start rate stands at 47.7%, with 95 quality starts achieved throughout his professional journey. On average, teams are scoring 3.58 goals per game against him, contributing to a total of 627 goals allowed.
Free Prediction: Bet on Columbus (+130)
