In their first of three head-to-head meetings this season, the Anaheim Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks collide at the United Center for a Western Conference tilt. The game gets underway at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 23 and it is being televised live on NBC Sports Chicago.
Anaheim Ducks at Chicago Blackhawks Odds
Chicago enters the matchup as the favorite with a -130 moneyline. The line for Anaheim sits at +110 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-125 over, +105 under).
Anaheim is 5-4 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.0 unit this year. That winning percentage, the second-best in the Pacific Division so far this season, isn’t too far off from to the 44-38 record the team managed during last year’s regular season campaign. Through nine regular season contests, five of its games have gone under the total, while three have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2018-19 Ducks team is 3-2 SU on the road.
The Ducks have converted on 22.7 percent of their power play opportunities so far. That’s a good improvement from last season, when they were ranked 24th in the league by scoring on 17.3 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has fallen off drastically since last year, however, as they’ve gone from successfully defending 82.3 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked fifth overall last year) to 77.4 percent this year.
For the team as a whole, the Ducks have been sent to the penalty box 3.8 times per game in the 2018-19 season. Last year, that number was the third-highest mark in the league at 4.3 penalties per game. After serving an average of 10.2 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to kill penalties for 8.2 minutes per matchup this year.
With a .949 save percentage and 34.9 saves per game, John Gibson (4-3-1) has been the top option in goal for Anaheim this year. If Anaheim decides to rest him, however, they may go with Ryan Miller (1-2), who has a .938 save percentage and 2.17 goals against average this year.
Max Comtois and Hampus Lindholm will both lead the way for the visiting Ducks. Comtois has seven points on two goals and five assists this season; Lindholm has two goals and five assists to his credit through the early stages of the regular season.
On the other bench, Chicago is 4-4 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.3 units this season. Six of its outings have gone over the total, while two have gone under and none have pushed. This year, the team is 1-3 SU at home.
The Blackhawks have converted on 11.1 percent of their extra-man advantages this year after scoring on 16.0 percent (ranked 28th in league) last season. They have killed off an impressive 70.8 percent of all penalties, a few points lower than the 78.8 percent they recorded a year ago (when they were ranked 20th overall).
Blackhawks players have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.3, the fifth-lowest mark in the NHL. After serving an average of 7.5 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to kill penalties for 6.5 minutes per matchup this season.
Cam Ward has stopped 33.5 shots per game as the primary option in goal for the Blackhawks. Ward has three wins, three losses, and two OT losses and has registered a mediocre 4.23 goals against average and a fairly-weak .885 save percentage this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Patrick Kane (seven goals, five assists).
Anaheim Ducks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Blackhawks, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
The Blackhawks are 3-0 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Ducks are 3-3 SU when they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
After posting a 4-7 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Anaheim is off to a 1-1 start in shootouts this season. Chicago was 1-2 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
The over has hit in three of Chicago’s last five outings.
*****
