Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Prediction, NHL Odds
The Canucks travel to the Windy City after opening a three-game road trip with Saturday’s 3-1 win in Dallas, and have now won nine of their past 11 overall. The Blackhawks closed out a five-game road trip with four straight losses this past week, capped by Saturday’s 3-1 defeat in Minnesota, but enjoy a rare two-game win streak on home ice.
The Canucks have held steady since opening as -170 road favourites, while the Blackhawks are pegged as a +142 bet to claim a third straight home win, and the total is listed at 6.5 on the NHL odds.
Canucks vs. Blackhawks NHL Betting Odds
Sunday evening’s matchup at United Center marks the second of three scheduled meetings between these Western Conference rivals this season. The Canucks romped to a 5-2 victory when the Blackhawks visited Vancouver back on January 24, and have now earned the win in 11 of 14 clashes since January 2017 including five of their past seven visits to Chicago. With the Blackhawks scoring just five total goals over their past five dates with Vancouver, the UNDER is on a 4-1 run.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks turned in another sterling defensive performance in Saturday’s victory in Dallas. After surviving a 13-shot assault by the Stars in the first period, the Canucks settled down, limiting Dallas Stars to just 13 total shots the rest of the way while marching to a 3-1 comeback victory. Overall, Vancouver has held opponents to just 22.5 shots on goal over their past four outings, and with Thatcher Demko starring the crease, the team has surrendered just 2.08 goals per game during a steady 9-3-0 run. With Demko coming off three straight starts, backup Collin Delia is expected to get the call on Sunday. Delia stopped 17 of 18 shots he faced in last Sunday’s 2-1 win in Anaheim, ending a worrisome four-game run during which he allowed five goals per game. The Canucks’ blue line received a big boost from Filip Hronek’s debut with the club this week. Acquired ahead of the trade deadline, Hronek recorded his 30th assist of the season in Thursday’s win over San Jose and recorded 26:37 of ice time including a team-high 4:12 on the power play in Saturday’s contest.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have put themselves back into the thick of the race for last place overall in the NHL standings with their most recent four-game slide. Despite their deepening woes, the Blackhawks managed to put a scare into the Wild on Saturday, mounting a third-period comeback to tie the game before seeing it slip away with a pair of Minnesota goals in the final 71 seconds. But with offence coming at a premium, the search for value among Blackhawks shooters in player props is largely futile. The club has been outscored by a combined 18-4 margin during their current swoon. The Blackhawks have also managed to score more than two goals just once in their past seven games, and have tallied just three total goals at even strength during their 0-4-0 run. The team’s lack of success when playing their second game in two nights provides no silver lining, with the Hawks losing eight of nine while scoring one or fewer goals on six occasions. The busy schedule likely means Petr Mrazek will get the call in the crease ion Sunday. Idle since March 14, Mrazek has been hampered by a hip injury, but has allowed three or fewer goals in nine of 12 starts.
