Liontips
Utah vs. Columbus: NHL Match Prediction
On February 1, Utah and Columbus will begin a new calendar month in Salt Lake. The newcomers played very poorly in January and won only five matches. The Blue Jackets are trying to return to the playoff zone and are only one win away from the desired goal. The teams have never met each other in history. Who will be able to take the first points in the second month of winter? Will the hosts give the Jackets a fight? This is in the betting tip for the confrontation
Command Analysis
Utah Hockey Club
USACurrent form
Utah continues to fight for a playoff spot, but the Salt Lake team is currently only in tenth place in the conference. The newcomers have not lost hope of making it to the finals of the tournament in their first season, but the hosts have only 51 points after 50 games. The team led by Andre Tourigny had a weak start to the winter and completely failed in January, winning only five games. After a series of three victories, the debutants ended their road trip with defeats to Winnipeg (2:5) and Ottawa (1:3), and after returning home they were unable to beat Pittsburgh (2:3, OT). The hosts led twice during the game, but ultimately lost in overtime.
Connor Ingram got some time off and returned to the ice against Ottawa. The Canadian has lost his previous form and dropped his save percentage to 88.14%. He has not made a single shutout in 18 starts, so Karel Vejmelka has an excellent chance to bench the goalie. The Czech goalie has played 30 games and made 91.19% of saves.
Clayton Keller scored 54 points (18+36) and leads the team in scoring by a huge margin. It is not for nothing that the American is the captain of the club and the main dispatcher in Utah. After the injury of Dylan Gunther (16+18), he also became the best sniper. In addition to the above-mentioned hockey players, Logan Cooley (15+28) and Nick Schmaltz (10+30) can be singled out.
Disqualifications and injuries
Sean Durzi and Dylan Gunther are both ruled out for the upcoming bout, with Robert Bortuzzo questionable.
Interesting trends for betting
- Utah is averaging 2.82 goals per game this season.
Rookies don't always play badly on offense, but their numbers only get worse over time.
- The Salt Lake club averages 27 shots per game
The debutants don't have many shots on goal, but they managed to convert 10.3% of their chances.
Columbus Blue Jackets
USACurrent form
Columbus was very good in the first half of January, but they let the second half of the month down. After a series of six victories, Dean Evason team suffered three defeats in five starts. The Jackets continue to fight for a place in the top eight in the East and are currently in ninth place in the conference. They are only one point behind Boston and have three games in hand. The Blue Jackets have earned 55 points in 50 games and are having a pretty good season. In their last away series, they lost three out of four games, but celebrated success in Toronto (5:1), which was a surprise for many. Before the trip to Salt Lake, Zach Werenski team won at home against Los Angeles (3:2, OT).
The Blazers remain one of the league most goal-scoring teams, scoring an average of 3.68 goals on the road against the Blue Jackets. The visitors rarely please their fans with reliable play, and have conceded only 14 times in their previous six starts. Elvis Merzlikin has found excellent form and played excellent hockey in January. The goalie blocked 89.44% of shots and made one shutout in the regular season.
Zach Werenski has once again taken the lead in points and has been productive in his last three games. This season, he has earned 54 points (16+38) and is currently ahead of Kirill Marchenko. The Russian was very good in the second half of January and now has 53 points (20+33) in the goal+pass system.
Disqualifications and injuries
Columbus has four players in the infirmary: Egor Chinakhov, Boone Jenner, Erik Gudbranson, Boone Jenner, Sean Monahan.
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, Columbus allows 3.38 goals per game.
The club main problem remains its weak defensive play.
- The Blazers converted 22.6% of their power play attempts.
The team is distinguished by its good play with an advantage of one player and consistently takes advantage of the removal of opponents.
Trends
Bet 2nd period: total over 1.5 goals
In five of Utah last six games, the second period has been productive.
1.50Bet 1st period: Columbus will score
The Blazers have scored in the first period in their last four games.
1.65Tip and bets
Utah played very poorly in January and had only one more or less good stretch during the first month of the year. The newcomers are gradually falling behind the top eight in the West, but so far they have not lost motivation to continue the fight. Columbus is very good this season, but on the road the Jackets do not look as confident as at home. Nevertheless, Dean Evason charges scored points in four out of six games on the road and took two points each from Missouri and Ontario. At the moment, the Blue Jackets look stronger than their opponents and should not fail in Salt Lake. Let bet on the victory of the second, taking into account the zero handicap.
Our prediction is Columbus victory with Asian handicap (0) for 2.32
Bet on total
The hosts have been extremely productive in their last games on their court and should not be afraid to go forward in the match against Columbus. The Blazers concede a lot, but they realize their chances well and often win thanks to strong actions in the attack. We believe that the match will be spectacular and will please with at least six accurate throws.
Betting Tip - total over 5.5 goals for 1.68
Bet on individual total
Columbus is not very good in attack on the road, but now the Blue Jackets can take advantage of the weakness of the Utah defense, which allows 3.25 goals per game in Salt Lake. Andre Tourigny team is not in the best shape in general and is unlikely to be able to contain the attack of the Ohio State club. We believe in at least three accurate shots from the guests.
Betting Tip - Columbus individual total over 2.5 goals for 1.80
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