Ryan Johansen, Roman Josi, and the Nashville Predators are set to do battle against Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in a divisional showdown. The opening face-off takes place at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 18, and it is being televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks Odds
Moneyline odds have not yet been posted for this matchup.
Nashville is 22-12 straight up (SU) and has earned 5.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 34 regular season matches, 17 of its games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Preds are 8-7 SU as the road team in 2018-19.
Nashville has converted on just 16.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of its penalties..
With a .926 save percentage and 23.8 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (15-8-2) has been the primary option in goal for Nashville this season. Rinne did just play last night, however, so Nashville might choose to rest him and turn to Juuse Saros instead (8-7-1 record, .894 save percentage, 3.05 goals against average).
On the other side of the rink, Chicago is 10-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 20 of its outings have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 6-11 SU at home this year.
The Blackhawks have converted on just 11.4 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is also ranked 32nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 71.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Corey Crawford has stopped 28.3 shots per game as the top choice in the crease for the Blackhawks. Crawford has six wins, 17 losses, and two OT losses to his name and has maintained a subpar .902 save percentage and 3.28 goals against average this season.
Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner \u2013 Blackhawks, O/U \u2013 Under
Betting Notes
- Five of Chicago’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 1-4 overall in those games.
- Penalties and power plays may play a critical role tonight. The Predators are 9-4 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-7 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Blackhawks are 2-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 7-19 in games where their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Nashville might hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 9-6 in one-goal games, while Chicago is only 5-11 in such games.
- For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in four of their last five matchups.
- Nashville is ranked 18th this season with 10.1 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as it’s averaged 12.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 13.6 giveaways over its last five.
- Chicago is ranked 8th this season with 8.3 giveaways per game. That figure has trended higher, as the team’s averaged 10.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 9.2 giveaways over its last five.
