Blackhawks vs Kraken Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

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24 January 2024

Blackhawks vs Kraken Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

By now, it's no secret that the Blackhawks are awful, especially without Connor Bedard. And they represent the perfect antidote to the Kraken's current skid. Instead of going for the juiced moneyline, we're eyeing a different market.

It’s prime-time hockey tonight on TNT as the Connor Bedard-less Chicago Blackhawks take their pathetic offense to Climate Pledge Arena and take on the Seattle Kraken, who are losers of four straight and sit four points out of a playoff spot with the All-Star break looming.

Even without confirmation of Joey Daccord starting in net for the Kraken, it’s safe to bet against this Chicago offense and there is only one NHL player prop that is in my buy range but it’s a good one.

I break down the NHL odds and offer my free NHL picks for Blackhawks vs. Kraken on Wednesday, January 24.

Blackhawks vs Kraken odds

Blackhawks vs Kraken predictions

The Chicago Blackhawks can’t score. Their 2.17 goals per game ranks 31st on the season but that number has fallen to 1.56 goals per game since Connor Bedard has hit the shelf and outside of the four-goal explosion in the first game he missed, the Hawks have scored 12 goals across the next eight while potting more than one regulation goal just once over the last seven.

Their team total Under 2.5 is a tough sell at -167 but forward Philipp Kurashev’s Under 0.5 points at -135 is a much more manageable number — a prop that has hit in seven straight games and 10 of his last 11.

Currently, the young forward centers the top line and the power play. He has the longest Under 0.5 point odds on the team, but this is an offense void of scoring talent and a power play that is 3-for-30 without Bedard.

Wrapping this play up and taking it across the line is the matchup, which is brutal for the Hawks. The Seattle Kraken’s 2.27 GAA since Christmas is the third-best mark in hockey behind the Oilers and Jets.

Goalie Joey Daccord has a 1.89 GAA with a .949 SV% since the break and was in net for Seattle’s 7-1 win over Chicago before Christmas where the Hawks managed 22 shots. He hasn't been announced at the time of writing but with Seattle on a four-game skid, in a national TV spot, and sitting four points out of the playoffs, the Kraken will go strong tonight.

Things are getting awful for the Hawks of late and the All-Star break can’t come quick enough for a team that is just collecting overly high paychecks vs. the talent on the ice. This Under is good to -140.

My best bet: Philipp Kurashev Under 0.5 points (-135 at DraftKings)

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Blackhawks vs Kraken same-game parlay

Kraken first period -0.5 Philipp Kurashev Under 0.5 points

Kraken -1.5

It's tough to beef up the odds with a projected low-scoring game but I'm happy with this. Seattle has dominated the first frame, with a 24% ROI on the first-period 3-way moneyline. The Kraken likely only need to score one in the first 20 minutes to get the green check.

Kurashev hasn't recorded a point in seven straight games and has seen anywhere from 16 to 20 minutes of ice time. Seattle can score three goals and cover this spread.

If you really think the Hawks are trash, and they are, parlaying the five available Chicago players all Under 0.5 points returns +400 odds. I like my SGP better at slightly lower odds.

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Blackhawks vs Kraken moneyline and Over/Under analysis

The Kraken have dropped four straight, which followed a franchise-best 9-0 straight-up run. They’re four points out of a playoff spot thanks to a rough start of the season but tonight is a perfect spot to snap that skid.

Chicago has scored once in regulation in six of its last seven games, just got the news Bedard will be out a bit longer, and continues to overpay sub-par talent just to hit the salary floor. Last year’s team was bad, but this one's worse.

Since Christmas, which includes a handful of games with Bedard, the Hawks are dead last in expected goals for at 5-on-5, last in xG%, and pretty much any other metric you can filter at Natural Stat Trick that measures differential. The defense is a Bottom-5 unit and the offense is the worst by farscussion.

For those reasons, Seattle opened around -290 and -300 and has been there since. The Kraken have been that long of a favorite just once this year at -310 vs. the Sharks in a 7-1 win before Christmas.

Chicago has been a +200 dog or longer for the majority of the season and was +350 in Vancouver on Monday, which wasn’t even on the second half of a back-to-back. Even as constantly being a big dog, Chicago has not been profitable to back over its last 10, losing 1.9 units or $190 on $100 bets over the 3-7 SU record. A win as a -150 favorite is the reason for that looking/sounding odd.

I can’t get behind any Over with Chicago’s offense but the Under is 15-5 across each team’s last 10 games. Tonight’s total is sitting at 5.5 with an expensive Under that will continue to trend that way.

Seattle is roughly -105 to cover the puck line and the same price to go Over its team total of 3.5. The Seattle losses are worrisome but they came against Toronto, Pittsburgh, Edmonton, and the Rangers. Expect them to take care of the harmless Blackhawks.