Blackhawks vs. Rangers Prediction
New York Rangers (25-10-1) vs Chicago Blackhawks (11-24-2)
Game Info: Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Madison Square Garden)
Betting Odds: New York Rangers -357 / Chicago Blackhawks +265 --- Over/Under: 6.5
The Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers meet in NHL action from Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. Can the Blackhawks pull off the upset in this original six matchup? Or will the Rangers lock it down on home ice? Let’s dive in and find out with our Blackhawks vs. Rangers Prediction.
Chicago Blackhawks Team Preview
The Chicago Blackhawks will be looking to snap a three-game losing skid after a 3-0 loss to Nashville in their last matchup. Connor Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 33 points including a team-high 15 goals along with a team-high 18 assists while Philipp Kurashev has 22 points with 7 goals and 15 assists. Jason Dickinson has 18 points with 12 goals and 6 assists and Nick Foligno also has 17 points with 8 goals and 9 assists. Petr Mrazek has gone 9-12-1 with a 3.24 GAA and an .904 save percentage in goal for the Blackhawks while Arvid Soderblom is 2-12-1 with a 4.07 GAA and an .874 save percentage this season.
Chicago Blackhawks Team Facts
- The home team has won each of the Blackhawks' last five games.
- The Blackhawks have covered the puck line in each of their last seven games at Madison Square Garden.
- The 'Over 2.5 Goals Period 1' market has hit in four of the Blackhawks' last six games as underdogs.
- The Blackhawks have lost the second period in eight of their last nine games following a road loss.
New York Rangers Team Preview
The New York Rangers will be looking to rebound after a 6-1 loss to Carolina in their last matchup. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 51 points including team-highs of 23 goals and 28 assists while Chris Kreider has 34 points with 19 goals of his own. Vincent Trocheck has 33 points as well with 24 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 37 points with 23 assists this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 15-8 with a 2.83 GAA and a .906 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 9-2-1 with a 2.41 GAA and a .916 save percentage between the pipes for the Rangers this season.
New York Rangers Team Facts
- The Rangers have won each of their last seven games at Madison Square Garden following a loss.
- The road team has covered the puck line in each of the last six games between the Blackhawks and Rangers.
- The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 2' market has hit in each of the Rangers' last nine games against opponents on a losing streak.
- The favorites have won the second period in six of the last seven games between the Blackhawks and Rangers.
Matchup/League Facts
- The New York Rangers rank 2nd in the league in power play percentage this season (30.09%).
- The New York Rangers rank 6th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (83.64%).
- The Chicago Blackhawks rank 31st in the league for goals per game this season (2.35).
- The Chicago Blackhawks rank 31st in the league for goals against per game this season (3.76).
Blackhawks vs. Rangers Prediction
I’m on the Rangers -1.5 here. There’s simply no backing the Blackhawks right now and the fact that we’re seeing heavy odds like these just over 30 games into the season is bonkers. I get it, it’s one of the league’s best in the Rangers against a league-worst Blackhawks team, but this is still a huge price. That being said, the Blackhawks have been giving up goals like it’s going out of style and the Rangers like I said, are the far better team here so it’s Rangers -1.5 or pass for me here.
The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.
