Florida Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, October 15, 2024 NHL tips, best bets and odds

Game: Florida Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: NBC4 WCMH-TV

The Columbus Blue Jackets (1-1-0) host the Florida Panthers (1-2-0) at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.

The Florida Panthers will need a rebound game after a 5-2 loss to the Sabers in their last game. Florida had 8 minutes in the box for this contest. The Panthers' offense left a lot to be desired in the loss. They also had two power play attempts and scored a goal. For the game, they scored two of the 25 shots they attempted.

The Florida Panthers' opponents earned 10 power play opportunities (11th in the NHL) and scored a total of 2 goals on those attempts. The Panthers have had 86 shots taken against them so far and maintain a save percentage of .860. Florida has made 92 shots and has a shooting percentage of 9.8%. At even strength, the Panthers allowed their opponents to score 10 goals while scoring 8 goals themselves. Florida enters the game with 10 power play chances tonight and has scored 1 goal on those chances, a rate of 10.00%. For the year they are at 2 points and their points percentage is .333. In terms of goal scoring, the Florida Panthers have scored 9 goals (11th in the NHL) and conceded 12 goals this season.

The goalscorer in this game is Spencer Knight. Knight appeared in 58 games during his NHL career. He has a mark of 32-18-6 and started 50 games. The opposition has scored 155 goals against Knight in his career and his goals against average per game is 2.93. Knight has had 1,628 shots against him and recorded 1,473 total saves. His save percentage is .905 in his 3,174 minutes on ice. In his professional hockey career, Knight has recorded 23 good starts and his good starts percentage is .460.

In their last game, Columbus faced the Avalanche, with the Blue Jackets earning a victory with a final score of 6-4. They had three power play opportunities in this game and scored on one of them. The Blue Jackets scored 6 goals on 23 shots on goal.

Columbus took 56 shots (26th in hockey) and posted a shooting percentage of 14.29% while allowing 56 shots to the other team. They have a penalty kill percentage of 57.14% on their opponents' 7 power play attempts and their save percentage is currently 87.5%. They created six chances in the power play and achieved a power play rate of 33.33%. The Blue Jackets have 6 goals at even strength and 2 goals (16th in the league) on the power play. They have allowed 7 goals, including 4 goals at even strength and 3 goals while shorthanded. This season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have scored 8 goals, 2 points and a points percentage of .500.

On the other side of the ice, Elvis Merzlikins is defending the net. Merzlikins has a lifetime record of 55-63-22 and has appeared in 151 contests. Merzlikin's rate of quality starts is 47.8% and he has collected 66 quality starts in his career. Of the 4,579 shots attempted, he made 4,148 stops, giving him a save percentage of .906. Opponents average 3.13 goals per game and he has allowed a total of 431 goals. He was a starter in 138 games and played 8,251 minutes.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Man's Choice: Take Columbus

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