NHL Lines, Odds, Picks and Previews |
The Chicago Blackhawks will have the tall-task of snapping a nine-game winless streak on the road against the best team in the Eastern Conference when they clash with the New York Rangers on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. The puck is slated to drop at 7 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network.
Chicago’s winless streak reached nine with a 2-1 loss to Nashville on Tuesday night as a 113 road underdog. It was the Blackhawks 11th-straight loss on the road and they are now 10-15-3 away from home this season. Chicago is currently tied for sixth in the conference with 65 points after leading the West as recently as Jan.20. It is currently -557 on the money line and 24-33 against the puck line.
Scoring has all but disappeared for a team that was averaging well over three goals a game. The Blackhawks have just 15 goals in their current nine-game slide, while giving-up an average of 4.2 goals-per-game, which is well above their season average of 3.00.
New York continues to roll towards the postseason with four straight victories and an 8-1-1 record in its last 10 games. The Rangers lead the East with 79 points and have an overall record of 37-13-5. They have been rock-solid at home lately with a 4-1 record in their last five games and are 18-6-2 overall. New York has the second-highest return in the NHL on the money line at +1897 and is 31-24 against the puck line.
The Rangers have scored at least three goals in eight of their last 10 games and have given-up a total of 16 goals over the same time-span. The only fear for this team is that it may be peaking too early with over 25 games still on the regular season schedule.
Chicago is 5-2 in its last seven games against the Eastern Conference and 7-2 in its last nine Thursday games. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of its last seven games against the Atlantic Division.
New York is 5-2 in its last seven games against the Western Conference and 18-6 in its last 24 games at home. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 16 of its last 23 games against the Central Division.
Head-to-head, the Blackhawks are 1-4 in the last five meetings and 1-4 in their last five trips to New York. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of the last seven meetings. Chicago’s losing streak has to end sometime, but not Thursday night as the Rangers grind-out another win at home.
The Free NHL Pick: New York 3 Chicago 1
