Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and the Chicago Blackhawks will face off against Matthew Tkachuk, Sean Monahan, and the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome in a Western Conference tilt. The opening face-off takes place at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 31, and fans at home can view the game live on Sportsnet West.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Calgary Flames Odds
The Flames (-185) are tabbed as the heavy favorites over the Blackhawks (+160), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under). Those lines have shifted after initially opening at -105 over, -115 under.
Producing -5.0 units for moneyline gamblers, Calgary is 20-21 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage is a big slide from what the team recorded during the 2018-19 season (50-32). Of its 41 regular season contests, 22 have gone under the total, while 16 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 10-9 SU at home this season.
The Flames have converted on 18.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 84.1 percent of all penalties.
With a .914 save percentage and 28.4 saves per game, David Rittich (17-14-5) has been the primary goalkeeper for Calgary this season. If Calgary chooses to give him a rest, however, the team could go with Cam Talbot (3-9-9 record, .915 save percentage, 2.73 goals against average).
Chicago has lost 2.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 17-23 straight up (SU). Through 40 regular season contests, 21 of its games have gone under the total, while 18 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Blackhawks are 8-11 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Blackhawks have converted on just 15.0 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places them in the bottom-five overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 11th overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Robin Lehner (32.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Chicago. Lehner has 11 wins, 12 losses, and five OT losses to his credit, while registering a .926 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average this year.
Chicago Blackhawks at Calgary Flames Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Flames, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Blackhawks are 6-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 11-16 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
- Chicago is 2-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Calgary is 3-0 in shootouts.
- Calgary could have an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 10-7 in games decided by one goal, while Chicago is 6-9 in such games.
- For both of these clubs, the total has gone over in four of their last five matches.
- Chicago is ranked 14th this season with 10.0 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team’s averaged 7.6 giveaways over its last 10 games and 8.0 giveaways over its last five.
- Calgary is ranked 27th this season with 11.8 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as it’s averaged 13.6 giveaways over its last 10 games and 14.0 giveaways over its last five.
- Chicago skaters have accounted for the seventh-most hits in the league (24.4 per game), but that number’s down to just 13.6 hits over their last five away games.
