More options are listed in the expert's forecast below. A statistical assessment is not an investment recommendation. 18+
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Toronto finally broke the losing streak by beating San Jose thanks to the productive actions of Auston Matthews. Now the Canadians are heading to Columbus, where the local Blue Jackets will try to improve after the setback in Minnesota. Moreover, both teams have not always pleased fans with effective hockey lately. It is especially difficult for the home team's attack, which scored only two goals in two meetings. In our betting tip, we will analyze the condition of the opponents and select a bet based on the latest changes in their game
Command Analysis
Columbus Blue Jackets
After conceding seven goals from Florida, the Columbus hockey players noticeably increased their defense. First, Rick Bowness's team managed to beat the Rangers 1-0 in overtime, and for three periods the opponents could not open an account at all. Jet Greaves blocked all 29 shots, and Kent Johnson brought the hosts victory in extra time. However, it was not possible to build on the success on the road.
In the next meeting, the Blue Jackets lost to Minnesota with a score of 1:2. Adam Fantilli scored the only goal, and Kirill Kaprizov scored the winning goal in the second period. At the same time, the guests scored only 14 shots on target, and only seven in the last two periods. Cam Talbo made 32 saves and kept the team's chances of a positive result for a long time. Now Columbus needs to set up an attack that has practically stopped creating dangerous moments. However, the defense really looks more reliable than at the beginning of the championship.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Gavin McKenna became the protagonist of Toronto's last meeting with San Jose. The young striker realized the majority at the beginning of the third period and scored the winning goal, thanks to which the Canadians managed to break a three-game losing streak. Auston Matthews also had a great match, scoring a goal and two assists. In the closing seconds, Nick Paul consolidated the advantage with a 3:1 shot into an empty net.
Sergey Bobrovsky played particularly well, deflecting 30 shots and repeatedly beating out his partners with minimal advantage. Prior to that, Toronto lost to the Islanders (1-4), having almost failed to cope with the opponent's organized defense. In general, the last victory turned out to be very timely, but the problems with implementation have not completely disappeared. Now the team will have to play the second match in two days, and on the road. Such a load may well affect the activity of the attack, especially closer to the final period.
The last two matches of Columbus turned out to be completely less productive than the previous meetings. The team became much more attentive in its own zone, but the attack practically stopped creating chances. Toronto has also recently experienced serious problems with implementation, although it finally managed to achieve victory against San Jose. At the same time, the reliable work of Bobrovsky, who repeatedly saved the owners with a minimum score, played a decisive role.
Now the Canadians will have a difficult exit immediately after the previous match. The opponent got more time to recover and will certainly try to take advantage of this advantage. However, it is also quite difficult to expect constant pressure from Columbus. Recent results show that both teams may have difficulty creating dangerous moments. Therefore, we prefer a rather cautious scenario in which the opponents will not be able to score more than six goals.
Our betting tip is a total of less than 6.5 goals in 1.65
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