The Chicago Blackhawks look to reverse recent woes as they face the Buffalo Sabres. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Blackhakws-Sabres prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Blackhawks are sitting at 12-29-2 and have been struggling as of late. They have lost eight of their last nine games, including four of five without their star Connor Bedard. Last time out, they faced the Dallas Stars. After a scoreless first period, The Blackhawks scored in the second period to make it 1-0. Still, the Stars would make a run. Matt Duchene scored in the third on the power play to tie it up. Then Mason Marchment gave the Stars the lead, and Joe Pavelski scored an empty net goal to seal it as the Blackhawks lost 3-1. They will play Tuesday night on the first day of a back-to-back before facing the Sabres
Meanwhile, the Sabres come into the game sitting at 19-21-4 on the year. Last time out they faced the San Jose Sharks. After a scoreless first period, Casey Mittelstadt scored to break the tie. Then, Alex Tuch added a power play goal in the second period to make it 2-0. Jordan Greenway would seal the game with an empty net goal in the third. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 28 shots he faced as the Sabres took a 3-0 shutout victory over the Kraken.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Blackhawks-Sabres Odds
Chicago Blackhawks: +1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +215
Buffalo Sabres: -1.5 (-104)
Moneyline: -254
Over: 5.5 (-132)
Under: 5.5 (+108)
How to Watch Blackhawks vs. Sabres
Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT
TV: TNT
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Blackhawks Will Cover The Spread/Win
Note: All Statistics are before the Blackhawks game with the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, January 16th.
The Blackhawks are one of the worst-scoring teams in the NHL, scoring just 2.26 goals per game this year. The leading scorer on the team is Connor Bedard. He has 15 goals and 18 assists this year, good for 33 total points. Still, he is out in this game with a fractured jaw that required surgery. Also missing from the lineup will be Nick Foligno, who has eight goals and nine assists on the year. Further, Tyler Johnson is also out. He had nine goals and four assists this year, good for 13 total points on the year.
This leaves Phillip Kurashev to lead the offensive attack. He comes in second on the team in points this year with eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points. He also has three goals and four assists on the power play this year. The leading scorer in terms of goals among the active players is Jason Dickinson. He comes in with 14 goals on the year with seven assists. That makes him third on the team in total points with 21. Ryan Donato will also need to step up. he comes in with six goals and seven assists this year, to have 13 total points.
The Blackhawks sit 31st in the NHL on the power play this year, with just 17 power-play goals and a 12.8 percent success rate on the year. They have been better on the penalty kill, sitting 27th in the NHL with a 75.4 percent success rate on the man-down.
With Petr Mrazek expected to make the start on Tuesday, it will be Arvid Soderblom in goal for this one. He is 2-13-1 on the year with a 4.01 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage. He has not won a start since November 24th and has given up four or more goals in four of his nine starts since then.
Why The Sabres Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Sabres sit 22nd in the NHL this year in goals per game, scoring 2.95 goals per game this year. The leading goal scorer for the team this year is Jeff Skinner. He comes into the game with 17 goals on the year, along with 16 assists, for 33 points. Skinner is third on the team in points while leading the team in power-play goals. He comes in with six power-play goals this year. Meanwhile, Casey Mittlestadt is the leading points scorer this year. Mittelstadt has 12 goals and 26 assists this year for a total of 38 points. He has struggled on the power play this year with just four assists and one goal.
The Sabres also have three players tied for fourth on the team in goals with 12. Rasmus Dahlin, the defender, comes in with 12 goals and 23 assists, good for 33 points. Meanwhile, Alex Tuch is tied with Mittlestadt and Dahlin with 12 goals. He comes in with 12 goals and 18 assists this year. Sitting second in goals this year is Tage Thompson, he comes in with 14 goals and 13 assists. Meanwhile, JJ Peterka comes in with 13 goals and 14 assists this year.
The Sabres have struggled on the power play this year, with a 14.4 percent conversion rate, which is good for 26th in the NHL this year. Meanwhile, they sit 18th in the NHL on the penalty kill, with a 79.1 percent success rate on the year.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to be back in goal for this game. He is 10-9-2 on the year with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He is coming off the shutout of the Sharks and has been stellar in January. In four starts he has allowed just five goals, with 1.26 goals against average and a .958 save percentage. In those games, he is 3-1, as the Sabres were shut out in his one loss.
Final Blackhawks-Sabres Prediction & Pick
The Blackhawks already had a bad offense, and now they are missing three of their top six scoring-point options. The Sabres are not an amazing scoring team, but they are much better than the Blackhawks, especially considering how much the Hawks are missing. Further, if Mrazek starts on Monday, it will be a goalie who has struggled heavily in goal for the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, the Sabres should have a goalie in the net that is coming in on a hot streak. While he will not come away with back-to-back shutouts, there should not be many goals for the Blackhawks in this one. Take the Sabres to win with ease.
Final Blackhawks-Sabres Prediction & Pick: Sabres -1.5 (-104)
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