A couple of teams that have underperformed this season, the New Jersey Devils and the Chicago Blackhawks clash at the United Center. The match will get underway at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, December 23, and you’ll be able to catch this East-West matchup live on MSG Plus 2.
New Jersey Devils vs. Chicago Blackhawks Odds
Moneyline and Over/Under (O/U) odds have not yet been posted for this matchup.
The Blackhawks are 15-22 straight-up (SU) and have punished moneyline bettors to the tune of -3.4 units so far. That early-season winning percentage is fairly close to what the team posted during the 2018-19 season (36-46). 20 of its 37 games have gone under the total, while 16 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team’s 8-11 SU at home this year.
Chicago’s converted on just 16.2 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places the team in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Chicago has been penalized 3.5 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over its last five contests. The team’s had to stave off opposition power plays for just 5.8 minutes per game over its last five outings, overall.
With a .926 save percentage and 32.4 saves per game, Robin Lehner (9-11-5) has been the best goalkeeper for the Blackhawks this year. If they, however, decide to give him a rest, Chicago could turn to Corey Crawford (6-13-13 record, .909 save percentage, 3.08 goals against average).
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will each be focal points for the Blackhawks. Kane (46 points) has tallied 20 goals and 26 assists and has recorded two or more points on 10 different occasions this year. Toews has eight goals and 19 assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in 16 games.
On the other side of the rink, New Jersey is 11-24 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. 18 of its outings have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under the total and just one has pushed. New Jersey’s 6-11 SU as the visiting team this season.
New Jersey has converted on just 14.2 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places it in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 19th overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.7 percent of all penalties.
New Jersey’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season, and 5.2 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s had to kill penalties 10.4 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
MacKenzie Blackwood (26.0 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for New Jersey. Blackwood owns a 10-16-4 record, and has registered a .906 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average this year.
Taylor Hall (six goals, 19 assists) has been one of the top facilitators on offense for the visiting Devils.
New Jersey Devils vs. Chicago Blackhawks Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Blackhawks, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Power plays and penalty kills may prove to be critical in tonight’s matchup. The Devils are 5-11 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 6-15 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blackhawks are 4-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 10-16 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- New Jersey is 1-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Chicago is 1-4 in shootouts.
- Chicago has forced 8.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 8.6 takeaways per game (ranked 5th).
- New Jersey has forced 7.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 6.6 takeaways per game (ranked 28th in the league).
