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Columbus vs. St. Louis: NHL Match Prediction
On January 5, Columbus will continue to play at home, where this time they will meet St. Louis. The Blue Jackets continue to be in poor shape and have difficulty earning points, unlike the Blues. Indeed, the “Notes” have been pleasing fans with successful results lately. Our experts have prepared a forecast in which they will tell you more about the state of the clubs and help you decide on your bets
Command Analysis
Columbus Blue Jackets
USACurrent 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.
St. Louis Blues
USACurrent 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.
Trends
Bet First Goal: Columbus
In three of the four head-to-head games, Columbus opened the scoring
1.82Goal in each period bet - no
In three out of four head-to-head matches, the teams failed to score a goal in each period.
2.52Tip and bets
Oddly enough, bookmakers have Columbus as the favorite in the upcoming match, despite the fact that it is not in the best shape and has a hard time earning points both at home and away. In recent months, the team has shown unstable results, alternating victories with defeats. On the contrary, St. Louis has gained great momentum and consistently crushes almost any competitors in its path. Recently, the team has demonstrated confident play and high performance. The Blues are in excellent physical shape and have a good attitude for the upcoming match, so we suggest betting in their favor.
Our prediction is a St. Louis victory in the match at 2.12
Bet on total
Also, in the upcoming match, it is quite possible to expect a large number of goals scored. Both teams throughout the regular championship cannot boast of a reliable game in defense, which is especially true for Columbus. And St. Louis has recently been consistently pleasing fans with productive hockey, so as a second bet we choose total over.
Forecast - total over 5.5 goals for 1.73
Bet on the outcome of the first period
In the first period, St. Louis has every chance to create serious problems for Columbus and will clearly not allow the Jackets to gain an advantage at the end of the opening period.
Prediction - St. Louis will not lose in the first period for 1.50
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