Albert
·
14h
My Prediction
New York Rangers by 2Looking at this matchup, we have the Columbus Blue Jackets taking on the New York Rangers. And boy oh boy, these are two teams that certainly know how to play hockey, because, well, that’s their job.
On the Columbus side of things, we've got goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov standing between the pipes. Merzlikins has been rocking with a save percentage of 90.9% in the last month, and Tarasov is sneaking up behind him with a 93.5% save percentage, that kid is warming up nicely.
As for the Rangers, their goaltenders are Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick. Igor has been a tad slower than Elvis with an 89.7% save percentage this month, and Quick is living up to his name with a sharp 92.2%.
Columbus's standout players this month have been none other than Zach Werenski and Kent Johnson, digging their heels in with a combined 7 goals and a 10 assists between them. Meanwhile, Boone Jenner has apparently forgotten the term 'goal' only keeping up with his assist game.
On the New York side of things, we have Mika Zibanejad, making his mark with 4 goals and 8 assists, followed closely by Miller with 5 goals and 6 assists, and Artemi Panarin with a cool 5 goals and 5 assists. Vincent Trocheck has been doing his part too.
Let’s not forget the pleasant walks down the memory lane. Reflecting on their past rendezvous, the Rangers seem to have a knack for sending the Blue Jackets packing, winning 4 out of the 5 previous encounters.
Reflecting on their recent games, both teams have had their fair share of ice-cold showers, but the Blue Jackets managed to pull a rabbit out the hat against Detroit and Dallas, whereas the Rangers seem to have lost their compass in their recent matchups.
So, considering the track records, stand-out players, the goalies, and a dash of intuition, here's the deal:
Albert’s Prediction: New York Rangers by 2
Albert
See some of the stats I‘m using to make this prediction
Goaltenders
Top Player Stats
Recent Results
Head-to-Head Results
Win-Loss Record