NHL Betting Picks, Odds, And Preview: Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators

The Chicago Blackhawks were hit by yet another setback after they got overpowered by the New York Rangers on Wednesday, 6-3, for their second straight defeat and seventh in the last eight games. Looking ahead, their vision of entering the next round gets blurry with every loss they suffer. On Friday, they will host the Nashville Predators for the second game of a short homestand with some zealous intent to get over the hump.

Nashville Predators

Nashville’s three-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday after the Carolina Hurricanes silenced the Predators’ home crowd by virtue of a 4-1 spoiler. That pushed them back to fourth place in the Western Conference wild card ladder with three points out of Calgary who sits in second place. Good news for the team, though, is that Ryan Ellis might be back in action on Friday after he suffered a concussion due to an elbow hit from Dallas’ Corey Perry that has sidelined him since New Year’s Day.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks initially thought that getting back at home after a disastrous five-game road trip would allow themselves to regain their bearings. As it turns out, the losing curse spills over to Chicago they dropped their last two games at home. The team remains as the worst team in the Central Division (26-26-8) as the optimism to further stay in the competition now starts to fade away. Patrick Kane has been carrying the Blackhawks in his broad shoulders but his 70-point season output is flat out insufficient to rescue them from the slump. Dominik Kubalik notched an NHL rookie-best 25 goals after his fourth multi-goal performance against the Rangers which all just went for naught.

Odds and Trends

Even the NHL Odds appear to have lost their faith in Chicago as the Blackhawks are tagged as underdogs at home with a +105 price to win. It will be interesting to see how they’ll match up against the Predators who are favored with a -125 price on the money line market.

The Predators are 5-0 in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest and 5-0 in their last 5 vs. Central.

The Blackhawks are 4-0 in their last 4 games following a home loss of 3 or more goals and 1-5 in their last 6 vs. Western Conference.

Over is 5-1 in Predators last 6 following a home loss of 3 or more goals and 4-0 in Blackhawks last 4 games playing on 1 days rest.

Under is 7-0 in Predators last 7 games playing on 2 days rest and 4-1 in Blackhawks last 5 vs. a team with a losing record.

Prediction

Predators win, 4-2