The United Center will be the site for an intriguing matchup as the Minnesota Wild pay a visit to the Windy City to meet the Chicago Blackhawks. This divisional matchup will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 15 and it can be watched live on Fox Sports North.
Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks Odds
The money line for either team is currently set at an identical -110 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-120 money on the over, +100 on the under).
Minnesota is 16-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. 16 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just four have pushed. The Wild are 7-13 SU as the road team in 2019-20.
Minnesota has converted on 17.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 21st out of 31 teams, and it has successfully killed off 78.4 percent of all penalties.
Minnesota, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.6 times per game this season, 3.8 per game over its last five contests total, and 3.4 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 7.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .908 save percentage and 25.2 saves per game, Alex Stalock (10-8-2) has been the top option in goal for Minnesota this year. Stalock did just play yesterday, however, so Minnesota might opt to rest him and instead turn to Devan Dubnyk (4-10-2 record, .893 save percentage, 3.35 goals against average).
Eric Staal and Jason Zucker will both lead the way for the visiting Wild. Staal has 25 points via 11 goals and 14 assists, and has recorded multiple points five times. Zucker has 12 goals and 11 assists to his credit (and has registered at least one point in 17 games).
On the other side of the rink, Chicago is 12-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 33 regular season contests, 18 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 7-10 SU at home this season.
Chicago has converted on just 15.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 25th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.4 percent of all penalties.
The Blackhawks have been penalized 3.6 times per game this season, and 4.4 per game over their last five match ups. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays 10.8 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Robin Lehner has denied 32.9 shots per game as the top option in goal for Chicago. Lehner has six wins, 11 losses, and five OT losses and has maintained a pedestrian 2.86 goals against average and a .926 save percentage this season.
The home team offense will be led by Patrick Kane (15 goals, 22 assists).
Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Blackhawks, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Chicago (1-4 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Minnesota has only participated in two shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their last five matchups.
- Minnesota has managed 25.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Chicago is averaging 35.0 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Chicago has allowed 3.2 goals per game overall this season, but has given up 4.5 goals per matchup in its last four contests (the team is 0-4 SU over that stretch).
- Four of Minnesota’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 3-1 in those games.
- The Blackhawks this season have dished out the seventh-most hits per game in the NHL (25.1), but that number has jumped up to 30.0 over their past five games as the home team.
