Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Prediction, NHL Odds
Friday marks the third and final matchup of the season between the Canucks and Blackhawks. Vancouver won the first back in October, then Chicago responded with a win in the second bout a month later. Now, both teams look quite different entering the season series finale.
Where there was optimism back in the fall, there is now a longing for the end of the season. Both teams will be draft lottery contestants, as Friday marks the first night they really begin to see what they have in their young talent for the future.
Canucks vs. Blackhawks NHL Betting Odds
The moneyline favours are the Blackhawks with -145 odds to the Canucks’ +120. The total is set at 6.5 on the NHL odds, with the over priced at +100 and the under at -120. Given Chicago has 13 more points than Vancouver, the line is not a huge surprise. However, roster turnover on the Blackhawks could give the Canucks a better look than the line indicates.
In a small home-road sample size, the Blackhawks are 1-2 both outright and against the spread at home in their last three outings, while the Canucks are 0-3 both outright and against the spread on the road. Recent home-road results also indicate the over could be a good look in this game.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks enter this contest on a seven-game skid, and this losing streak is part of a stretch in which they have just three wins in their last 23 outings. It has not mattered whether the Canucks play a good or bad team at home or on the road; they have been close to an automatic fade.
The glass-half-full approach is they are all but guaranteed a great draft pick. Until then, they have 20 games to evaluate their young talented players, primarily Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren – all of whom were acquired for Quinn Hughes. They also have several trade chips they can use to further set the direction of the future. It may seem counterintuitive, but this team and their young players are still one to keep an eye on.
Chicago Blackhawks
As poor as the results have been for the Blackhawks, things have not been quite as ugly for them as for the Canucks. Chicago shut out a solid Utah team 4-0 this week, which followed a competitive 3-1 loss to Colorado and preceded a loss beyond regulation to Winnipeg. This team is stringing together solid efforts.
While the Blackhawks traded a couple of players this week, they received forward Andrew Mangiapane, which offsets a hit to their depth. Chicago was already the better team in this matchup, and their roster movement this week has not sunk them to a level beneath Vancouver.
NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Canucks vs. Blackhawks?
Although the Blackhawks are typically a tough click, they have more appeal in this one than the Canucks. In addition to the better season as a whole, the Blackhawks are playing well since returning from the Olympic break.
Until or unless the Canucks turn things around a little bit, and the bar is low, they are not a reliable play. Fading the Canucks outright has been a good move for bettors, even if the value is not always there. On Friday there is at least some value facing a fellow rebuilding team that still has the advantage. This has the makings of a close 3-2 Blackhawks win.
