In their fourth and last head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators meet at Bridgestone Arena in a Central Division matchup. NBC Sports Network will showcase the matchup, which gets going at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 30.
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators Odds
With a -175 moneyline, Nashville enters the contest as the obvious favorite. The line for Chicago sits at +155 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-120 to bet the over, +100 for the under).
Earning 7.7 units for moneyline bettors, the Predators are 29-18 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, ranked third in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 41-41 record from last years regular season campaign. Through 47 regular season matches, 24 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and none have pushed. This year, the teams 16-7 SU at home.
Nashville has connected on 23.8 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.7 percent of all penalties.
Nashville, as a collective unit, has been whistled for penalties 4.8 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over its last five games at home. The teams had to kill penalties for just 5.6 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
Sporting a .927 save percentage and 29.2 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (24 wins, 11 losses, and three OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Predators this season. If head coach Peter Laviolette decides to rest him, however, the Preds could turn to Juuse Saros (5-8-8 record, .926 save percentage, 2.35 goals against average).
The Preds will continue to lean on the offensive production from P.K. Subban and Filip Forsberg. Subban (37 points) has tallied 12 goals and 25 assists and has recorded multiple points in eight different games this year. Forsberg has 15 goals and 19 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 25 contests.
Over on the other bench, Chicago is 23-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 49 regular season outings, 26 of its games have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just two have pushed. As a road team so far, Chicago is 11-13 SU.
Chicago has converted on just 15.6 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 28th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 17th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Chicago’s skaters have been called for penalties 3.7 times per game in total this season, 3.4 per game over their last five games total, and 3.2 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Corey Crawford (27.9 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Chicago. Crawford has 16 wins, 12 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit, and has registered a .929 save percentage and 2.27 goals against average this year.
Patrick Kane (20 goals, 29 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the visiting Blackhawks.
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Blackhawks, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The total has gone under in three of Nashville’s last five games.
- The Blackhawks are 7-4 in games where they attempt at least 10 more shots than their opponent. They’ve averaged the leagues third-most shots on goal (34.5) and Nashville has attempted just the 24th-most (30.5).
- Power plays and penalty kills could have a key role tonight. The Blackhawks are 17-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-16 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Predators are 12-3 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 15-7 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Nashville (4-4 in shootouts this season) has significantly more experience in games decided by shootout. Chicago fell short in its only shootout this season.
- Nashville skaters have forced 9.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.7 takeaways per game (ranked 13th in the league).
- Chicago is ranked 15th in the league this season with 7.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down lately, however, as it’s managed 6.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.8 takeaways over its last five.
- Nashville may hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The teams 14-8 in games decided by one goal, while Chicago is 7-11 in such games.
