Tag: Matiss Kivlenieks

The NHL world mourns the tragic death of Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks

What an awful tragedy.

There was awful news the morning after July 4 from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died on Sunday after an apparent head injury at age 24.

“Kivi was an outstanding young man who greeted every day and everyone with a smile,” Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson said in a statement, “and the impact he had during his four years with our organization will not be forgotten.”

“We are heartbroken,” a Twitter statement from the team read. “Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.”

Kivlenieks — who was undrafted and signed with Columbus in 2017 — played eight career games for the Blue Jackets, going 2-2-2 with a 3.09 GAA and .899 save percentage.

There was reaction from around the NHL world, including from some of his Columbus teammates:

Colorado Avalanche at Columbus Blue Jackets odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Colorado Avalanche at Columbus Blue Jackets sports betting odds and lines, with NHL matchup analysis, picks and tips.

The Colorado Avalanche (30-16-6) and Columbus Blue Jackets (30-16-9) will lock horns at Nationwide Arena at 7 p.m. ET Thursday. We analyze the Avalanche-Blue Jackets sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Avalanche at Blue Jackets: Projected starting goalies

Philipp Grubauer vs. Matiss Kivlenieks

Grubauer checks into this one with a 16-11-4 record, 2.78 goals against average (GAA) and .910 save percentage across his 32 starts – he is on pace for a career high in victories. He won 18 games last season to establish a new career best in 33 starts and 37 games. Grubauer hasn’t faced the Blue Jackets this season, but was drummed in two outings in 2018-19. He allowed four goals on 34 shots in Columbus Oct. 9, 2018, and ended up 0-2-0 with a 4.58 GAA and .871 SV% in those two outings last season.

Kivlenieks is expected to start, giving the red-hot Elvis Merzlikins a breather after he posted a shutout Friday night. The latter has a 12-6-4 record, 2.20 GAA and .930 SV% – he has blanked the opposition in five of the previous eight games. Meanwhile, Kivlenieks has been no slouch, going 1-0-1 with a 1.49 GAA and .946 SV% in two starts.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Avalanche at Blue Jackets: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 11:25 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Avalanche 3, Blue Jackets 2

Moneyline (ML)

The AVALANCHE (-143) are moderate road favorites, most likely due to the fact the Blue Jackets (+120) just played Friday night and will be using their backup tendy. I’d like to see a little more value and less chalk to eat, but Colorado is still the play.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Avalanche to win returns a profit of $6.99, while a $10 wager on the Blue Jackets results in a profit of $12.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Not a big fan of the puck line bet in this one – Colorado is -1.5, +185; Columbus is +1.5 -228. I think this game has the potential to be a rather low-scoring contest, even with Kivlenieks in the crease rather than Merzlikins. The Blue Jackets have been grinding out plenty of low-scoring wins and relying upon their defense. AVOID.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 5.5 (+105) is a nice value play at plus-money. While it’s all Over all the time for the Avalanche lately, going 4-1 in the past five, and 19-9-1 in the past 29 as a road favorite, it’s all Under for the Blue Jackets recently. The Under is a perfect 4-0 in their past four as a home ‘dog, 42-19-1 in the past 62 at home and 20-8 in the previous 28 games overall for CBJ.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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