Avalanche vs. Blackhawks prediction, odds, pick, how to watch
The Blackhawks are looking to break their long losing streak as we continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Blackhawks prediction and pick.
The Chicago Blackhawks are looking to break their long losing streak as they face the Colorado Avalanche. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Blackhawks prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Avalanche came into the game sitting at 19-10-2 on the year, good for second in the Central Divison. Last time out, the Avalanche played the San Jose Sharks. The Avalanche scored three times in the first period, with two power-play goals, as both Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin had two assists in the period. MacKinnon would get his own goal in the second period before the Sharks broke into the scoring column on a Tomas Hertl power-play goal. In the third, the Avalanche would score twice, and while Hertl got his second power-play goal of the game, it would end up being a 6-2 win for the Aves.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks come into the game at 9-20-1 on the year but have lost eight of their last ten games overall. The Blackhawks played the Canucks that last time out and opened up with a goal just ten minutes in on a Nick Foligno goal. The Canucks would tie it up on an Elias Pettersson power-play goal. In the second, Foligno scored his second goal of the game, but then the Canucks took off. They scored three straight in the period, including goals just 41 seconds apart at one point. The Blackhawks would make it tight, with another power-play goal in the third, but they would fall 4-3.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Blackhawks Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+102)
Chicago Blackhawks: +1.5 (-122)
Over: 6.5 (+106)
Under: 6.5 (-130)
How to Watch Avalanche vs. Blackhawks
Time: 8:30 PM ET/ 5:30 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Why The Avalanche Will Cover The Spread
The Avalanche are one of the best-scoring teams in the league this year. On the season, they are third in the NHL with 3.61 goals per game. Nathan MacKinnon is coming in off a four-point game and is the team leader in points this year. He comes into the game with 14 goals and 33 assists, good for 47 points this year. He has a goal and 15 assists on the power play. MacKinnon is the team leader in assists while sitting second in goals. Mikko Rantanen leads the way in goal this year, coming into the game with 15 on the season. With his 15 goals, he has 24 assists, and he has 39 total points. That ranks second on the team. He has also been solid on the power play, with four goals and 12 assists this year on the power play.
Sitting third on the team in points this year, and second in assists is from the blue line. Cale Makar comes in with eight goals this year while having 29 assists on the season. That is good for 37 points, with four goals and ten assists on the power play. The primary goal scorer on the power play this year is Valeri Nichushkin. He enters the game with 13 total goals and 14 assists on the year, with seven of the goals coming on the power play this year.
On the power play, the Avalanche are 19th in the NHL in conversion rate, sitting at 20.5 percent with 24 goals on the year. They have also been solid on the penalty kill this year, sitting ninth in the NHL with an 83.8 percent success rate.
Alexander Georgiev is expected to start in goal tonight. He is tied for second in the NHL in wins, having a 15-7-1 record on the year. Still, he has a 2.96 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage this year. He has struggled this month so far. In five starts, Georgiev has a 3.24 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. Still, he is 3-2 on the month.
Why The Blackhawks Will Cover The Spread
While the Avalanche are one of the best in the NHL in scoring, the Blackhawks are one of the worst. They come in with 2.33 goals per game, good for 31st in the NHL. Only one player on the team has more than 10 goals and 20 points this year, and that is the rookie, Connor Bedard. Bedard has led the team in goals, assists, and points so far this year. He enters the game with 12 goals, 14 assists, and a total of 26 points on the year. He has one goal and six assists on the power play this season as well. Sitting second on the team in both points and assists this year is Phillip Kurashev. He comes in with six goals and 12 assists on the year, for 18 points. He is also tied for the team lead in power-play goals on the season with two.
Tied with him having two goals on the power play is Nick Foligno. He has six total goals this year, with eight assists, good for being tied for third on the team with 14 points. The Blackhawks also get some help on the offensive side of things from a blue liner. Seth Jones comes into the game with no goals but is second on the team in assists this year with 11 of them.
The Blackhawks have one of the worst power play units in the NHL, sitting 28th in the NHL with just 11 goals and an 11.6 percent success rate. They are slightly better on the penalty kill, with a 75.8 percent success rate, good for 25th in the league.
Petr Mrazek is going to be tending the twine for the Blackhawks tonight. He is 7-10-0 this year with a .907 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average. He has had a solid month in goals. In five starts and six total appearances, Mrazek has a .924 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average. Still, he is just 2-3 in those games.
Final Avalanche-Blackhawks Prediction & Pick
The Blackhawks have continued to struggle as of late. In their only two wins in the last ten games, they shut out the Ducks while allowing one goal to the Blues. In the eight losses, they have allowed three or more goals in all of them. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have scored 21 goals in their last five games. This is a major mismatch, in this one, so take the Avalanche laying 1.5 goals.
Final Avalanche-Blackhawks Prediction & Pick: Avalanche -1.5 (+102)
