Two teams meeting for the second time this season, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks face off at Rogers Arena for a Western Conference showdown. The action gets going at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 1, and you can view the game live on Sportsnet Pacific.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks Odds
Chicago (+100) is currently the underdog to Chicago (-120) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Chicago is 24-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 50 regular season contests, 27 of its games have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the away team in 2017-18, the Hawks are 12-13 SU.
Chicago has converted on just 15.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it has successfully killed off 81.4 percent of its penalties.
Chicago, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.6 times per game overall in the 2017-18 season, and 3.0 per game over its last five contests. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 7.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.9 saves per game with a .929 save percentage, Corey Crawford (16-12-2) has been the primary option in goal for Chicago this season. If head coach Joel Quenneville decides to rest him, however, the team could go with Anton Forsberg (6-12-3), who has a .915 save percentage and 2.86 goals against average this year.
Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Blackhawks. Kane (50 points) is up to 20 goals and 30 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 13 different games. Schmaltz has 13 goals and 23 assists to his nameand has logged at least one point in 20 games.
On the other side of the ice, Vancouver is 20-30 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 28 of its matches have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 9-16 SU as the home team.
Vancouver has converted on 22.2 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 26th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Vancouver skaters have been penalized 3.8 times per game in total this season, and 3.2 per game over their past ten games. The team’s had to kill penalties just 6.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jacob Markstrom (26.3 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Vancouver. Markstrom has 14 wins, 23 losses, and five OT losses to his credit and has recorded a fairly-weak .908 save percentage and 2.75 goals against average this year.
The Nucks offense will be led by Brock Boeser (24 goals, 20 assists).
Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Blackhawks, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in three of Vancouver’s last five outings.
- The Blackhawks are 7-4 when they attempt at least 10 more shots than their opponent.
- They’ve averaged the league’s fourth-most shots on goal (34.4) while Vancouver has attempted just the 28th-most (29.8).
- Over Vancouver’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
