In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild collide at the Xcel Energy Center in a Central Division tilt. The opening face-off is at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 4, and fans at home will be able to catch the game live on WGN Channel 9.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild Odds
With a -125 moneyline, Minnesota heads into the game as the favorite. The line for Chicago sits at +105, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Chicago is 6-7 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Seven of its games have gone over the total, while five have gone under and just one has pushed. As the away team this season, the Hawks are 2-4 SU.
Chicago has scored on 13.8 percent of its power play chances so far. That’s a noticeable drop-off from last season, when it was ranked 17th in the NHL by scoring on 18.2 percent of its extra-man chances. Its penalty kill has gotten stronger year-over-year, however, as the team has gone from successfully defending 78.1 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 24th overall last season) to 81.8 percent this year.
For the team as a whole, Chicago has been penalized 4.8 times per game this season. Last year, that number was the second-lowest mark in the league at 3.1 penalties per game. After serving an average of 7.1 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to kill penalties for a noteworthy 10.5 minutes per matchup this season.
Averaging 29.2 saves per game with a .941 save percentage, Corey Crawford (6-5) has been the top option in goal for Chicago this season. If it decides to give him a rest, however, the team may roll with Anton Forsberg (0-3-2), who has a .895 save percentage and 4.25 goals against average this year.
Patrick Kane and Ryan Hartman will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Blackhawks. Kane has 13 points on five goals and eight assists, and has recorded two or more points two times. Hartman has four goals and six assists to his name (and has registered at least one point in five games).
On the other bench, Minnesota is 5-6 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. Seven of its contests have gone over the total, while three have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 3-3 SU as the home team so far this year.
Minnesota has converted on 18.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Minnesota players have been sent to the penalty box 4.1 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.4, the fifth-lowest mark in the NHL. After serving an average of 8.1 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 8.5 minutes per matchup this year.
Devan Dubnyk has stopped 28.6 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for Minnesota. Dubnyk has four wins, four losses, and one OT loss to his credit and has registered a subpar .905 save percentage and 3.03 goals against average this season.
Jared Spurgeon (two goals, seven assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Wild.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Over
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Betting Notes:
- After going 3-2 in games decided by a shootout last year, Minnesota is off to a 0-1 start in shootouts this season. Chicago was 4-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
