Gila River Arena will be the site for a Western Conference matchup as the Arizona Coyotes face off against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks. It’s the third and final time that these two clubs will go at it in the regular season. Fox Arizona Plus will showcase the action, which gets underway at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, February 12.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Arizona Coyotes Odds
Arizona (+105) is playing the role of underdog to Chicago (-125), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-120 money on the under, +100 on the over).
Chicago is 24-31 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 55 regular season matches, 29 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Hawks are 12-16 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Chicago has converted on just 15.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.1 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Hawks have been called for penalties just 3.6 times per game this season, and 2.2 per game over its last five on the road. The teams had to kill penalties just 7.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .929 save percentage and 27.9 saves per game, Corey Crawford (16-12-2) has been the primary option in goal for Chicago this season. If Chicago decides to rest him, however, they might turn to Anton Forsberg (6-14-3), who has a .910 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average this year.
Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Blackhawks. Kane has 53 points on 21 goals and 32 assists, and has recorded multiple points 14 times. Schmaltz has 15 goals and 24 assists to his credit (and has notched a point in 24 games).
Over on the other bench, Arizona is 13-42 straight up (SU) and has lost 24.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. 29 of its outings have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 6-20 SU at home this season.
The Coyotes have converted on just 15.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.6 percent of all penalties.
Arizona skaters have been penalized only 3.1 times per game in total this season, and 4.0 per game over their past five match ups. The teams had to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Antti Raanta (26.0 saves per game) has been the top netminder in goal for the Coyotes. Raanta has nine wins, 22 losses, and six overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a pedestrian 2.64 goals against average and a .916 save percentage this season.
The Coyotes will be led on offense by Clayton Keller (15 goals, 23 assists).
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Arizona Coyotes Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Coyotes, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Three of Arizona’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 0-3 in those games and 1-5 overall in shootouts this year.
- The total has gone over in four of Arizona’s last five outings.
- The Blackhawks have averaged the leagues second-most shots on goal (34.5) while Arizona has attempted just the 28th-most (30.0).
- Six of Chicago’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 1-5 in those games.
- The Coyotes this season have tallied the fifth-most hits per game (24.4), but that number has jumped up to 29.4 over their last five home games.
