Overview
The Chicago Blackhawks are in Calgary tonight where they take on the Flames. The Blackhawks have played the Flames well over the past few seasons winning 7 of the last 10 meetings overall and 3 of the last 4 played in Calgary. This has also been a low scoring series over the years with 9 of the last 11 games going under the total so that might be something worth taking a look at as well.
Head to Head Trends
Under is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings.
Blackhawks are 23-9 in the last 32 meetings.
Calgary Flames (+136)
The Calgary Flames are 6th in the Pacific Division with 15 points 9 points back of the 1st place LA Kings. The Flames had a super rough start this season losing 9 of their first 11 games in large part due to their horrendous defense who allowed 4+ goals in 10 of their first 13 games. They have however tightened up their defense since then allowing just 16 goals over their last 7 games and that has translated into winning a few more games with 4 wins over those 7 games.
Calgary Flames Trends
Flames are 7-15 in their last 22 overall.
Flames are 4-12 in their last 16 Friday games.
Chicago Blackhawks (-146)
The Chicago Blackhawks are 5th in the Central Division with 23 points 9 points behind the 1st place Dallas Stars. The Blackhawks have been playing some pretty solid hockey so far this season but they have played a lot of easy teams and they have also won 4 of the 5 overtime games they have played including two of which were back to back 1-0 wins so I would like to see a bit more offense from the Hawks. The Blackhawks have played great at home this season but they have struggled a bit on the road with just a 3-5 record. Away from home the Blackhawks are averaging just 2.38 goals per game on offense while allowing 3.25 goals per game on defense for a -0.87 goal differential so that’s the reason for the poor road record.
Chicago Blackhawks Trends
Blackhawks are 8-2 in their last 10 games playing on 1 days rest.
Blackhawks are 14-3 in their last 17 vs. Pacific.
Conclusion
I’m going with the Chicago Blackhawks over the Flames in this one. I think the Blackhawks are obviously the much better team overall and even though the Flames have been playing much better of late they are still one of the worst teams in the league.
Free Pick: Chicago Blackhawks -146
