Columbus vs. St. Louis. NHL Match Prediction and Bets

Current form

It seemed that Columbus had begun to come to its senses and pick up the pace, as the team was steadily earning points, both in matches with opponents of its level and in matches with clear favorites. The Blue Jackets played at home, where they easily won against Montreal (5:4), and then crushed Boston with a score of 6:2. The first line showed an excellent game, which in total managed to earn 13 points. However, in the return match with the Bears, they were unable to show the same offensive efficiency. On the contrary, the Jackets were not even able to score a puck, losing dry (0:4). What is especially noteworthy is that in three periods the club made only 18 shots on the Bruins' goal.

Upon returning home after an unsuccessful trip, the club faced another very strong opponent in the form of Carolina. Due to very good execution of shots, Columbus was able to tie the score in the third period, using the majority, and transferred the game to overtime. As a result, it came down to a series of shootouts, where they managed to snatch a victory with a final score of 4:3. Forward Monahan made a huge contribution to the success, giving three assists. It seemed that Evans' charges would feel confident in their abilities and would be able to beat Detroit, but this time there were huge problems in defense, which led to another failure (4:5). This time, goalie Merzlikin showed his worst side, reflecting only 80% of the shots. Due to its instability, the team continues to remain outside the playoff zone, occupying only 11th place in the Eastern Conference table.

Disqualifications and injuries

The Columbus infirmary remains unchanged. Gudbranson, Jenner and Chinakhov will definitely not be able to participate in the upcoming match.

Interesting trends for betting

• On average, Columbus concedes 3.6 goals per game.

The team has been experiencing huge problems in defense throughout the regular season.

• The Blazers converted just 19% of their power play attempts.

It is also worth noting the team weak play in the majority.

Current form

St. Louis has picked up a great pace and is consistently earning points, often crushing its opponents. The team successfully completed the away series, leaving no chance for Detroit (4:0). In particular, it is worth praising the defensive line, which allowed the Red Wings to make only 19 shots on goal in three periods, which Binnington easily dealt with. After that, the Blues showed their full attacking potential in a match with Nashville, crushing it with a score of 7:4. The entire attacking line showed a great game, it is difficult to even single out any of the players, since many distinguished themselves with effective actions. However, in the match with Buffalo, the winning streak was still interrupted. At the beginning of the third period, the "Notes" tied the score and seemed to be able to seize the initiative, but at the end they missed two unanswered pucks, which led to a defeat (2:4).

The "musicians" were able to rehabilitate themselves in front of the fans for the lost points already on the road, where they showed everything they were capable of once again, visiting the obvious outsider Chicago, and crushed the "hawks" with a score of 6:2. The most productive was defenseman Faulk, who gave two assists and also scored a goal. We cannot help but praise Fowler, who managed to score twice. Returning to the home arena, the club met with Ottawa, which was in excellent shape, and also won a confident victory, and without a goal (4:0). Once again, Binnington goal was impregnable. The points scored finally helped St. Louis get closer to the playoff zone, the gap from which has already been reduced to two points.

Disqualifications and injuries

It is worth noting that St. Louis has serious problems with its roster. At the moment, six players are in the infirmary: Abramov, Faksa, Krug, Ledy, Sundqvist and Faulk, who is still questionable.

Interesting trends for betting

• On average, the Blues receive 7.5 penalty minutes per game.

The team is distinguished by good discipline and rarely breaks the rules.

• St. Louis averages 2.6 goals per game

The team often has difficulties with offensive performance.