The Chicago Blackhawks have been awful this season, which isn't really surprising given the circumstances. But they can put a smile on the faces of their tortured fans if they can score a win later tonight against the mighty New Jersey Devils, who just keep on winning and winning. With all that being said, let’s now take a look at our NHL odds series plus our Blackhawks-Devils prediction for this showdown scheduled at 7:00 PM ET.
Here are the Blackhawks-Devils NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Blackhawks-Devils Odds
Chicago Blackhawks: +1.5 (+122)
New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (-148)
Over: 6.5 (-102)
Under: 6.5 (-120)
Why The Blackhawks Could Cover The Spread
It’s been a long season for the Blackhawks. They surprised a lot of people with a hot start, winning four of their six games of the 2022-23 NHL campaign but the wheels fell off right after that, as the Blackhawks have won just a total of three games out of the 18 they played since then. They also have not won consecutively during that span.
The last time they hit the ice, the Blackhawks got flustered by the New York Islanders in a 3-0 loss last Sunday. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and as seemingly irreparable as the Blackhawks look, they still have some pieces performing at a high level.
Take for example the ageless Patrick Kane, who leads Chicago with 20 points. He has been sparking the offense of the Blackhawks with his playmaking, amassing 16 assists to go with four goals. Four of those helpers came over the last five games of Chicago, which has seen the total hit the Over in four of its last five games against a team with a winning record. While Jonathan Toews has been silent of late with zero goals and just a lone assist in the last five games, the center behind him, Max Domi, is surging. Domi has found the back of the net four times in five games. His linemate, right-wing Taylor Raddysh netted three goals in the same span.
That second line could be what propels the Blackhawks to a big road win against a New Jersey team that remains a huge threat but might be regressing following a historic win streak. In front of the goal for Chicago, later tonight potentially is Arvid Soderblom, who has turned away 99 of 110 shots faced in his four most recent appearances on the ice.
Soderblom was the one patrolling the crease for the Blackhawks when they last won a game, with the goalie stopping five of six shots in a minimal role during a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers in the Big Apple last Saturday. If you need to know just one thing about why the Blackhawks, despite the season they are having, are still worth betting on, it’s that they are above .500 against the puck line overall (13-11). That’s not to mention that they are 6-5 against the puck line when they’re on the road.
Why The Devils Could Cover The Spread
It doesn't take a lot to see why the Devils are the overwhelming favorites to win this game versus Chicago. The win-loss records of both teams alone can tell the entire story. New Jersey is legit and it's got a bunch of wins to prove that.
After going 0-2 to start the season, the Devils collected 20 wins in 25 wins, during which they had a stretch of 13-straight victories and did not lose in a back-to-back manner. The Devils have looked more human of late, but going 4-1-1 in six games is what passes today as a poor span for New Jersey, which should find a ton of opportunities to score goals versus the Blackhawks.
New Jersey is fourth in the league in scoring with 3.72 goals per game and they are also third overall in total shots on goal, so far this season. Conversely, Chicago has an awful defense that operates like a broken turnstile, allowing 3.58 goals per contest. The Devils are third with an 8.8 shooting percentage and No. 1 in scoring chance percentage 5-on-5 (58.6%).
New Jersey loves to push the action, but the Devils are more than just about aggressiveness with the puck, as they always get to the best spots to take shots. That quality of the Devils could be highlighted even further Tuesday night by Chicago which has allowed the sixth most 5-on-5 scoring chance attempts to opponents this season.
Offensively, there is a Grand Canyon-size gap between the Devils and the Blackhawks. Whether it's the Blackhawks or the Devils strike first in this game, it's almost a lock that New Jersey's going to finish with the better possession and shooting numbers.
Only two this season have the Blackhawks posted an even-strength Coris For rate higher than 50% in a game this season. That's happened 17 times to the Devils. Jack Hughes could have a productive night versus the Blackhawks, as he's been on a roll, recording six goals with two assists in the last five Devils games.
Final Blackhawks-Devils Prediction & Pick
The Devils are going to run away with a win here. There's just no second-guessing about it. The only question here is the winning margin for the Devils. Take New Jersey's spread even if the odds don't look too appealing.
Final Blackhawks-Devils Prediction & Pick: New Jersey Devils -1.5 (-148)
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