The Chicago Blackhawks will square off against the Vancouver Canucks this Monday night at the Rogers Center in a clash between two of the best teams in the Western Conference. Game time for this showdown is set for 10 p.m. (ET), and it will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network.

The Blackhawks seven-game winning streak came to an end this past Saturday in a 3-2 shootout loss to Phoenix as -180 home favorites. However, they have now earned at least a point in their last 11 games to raise their league-leading total to 73 points. The total has gone “over” in two of their last three games.

Vancouver clinched a playoff spot last week despite dropping three of their last five games. This past Saturday it got past Detroit 2-1 in a shootout as a -148 home favorite. The Canucks now have 57 points on the year, and the total has gone over in three of their last five games.

Blackhawks at Canucks Betting Storylines

Chicago continues to play like a well-oiled machine heading into the final week of the regular season. It is ranked second in the NHL in scoring with 3.2 goals a game and ranked first on defense in allowing an average of just 2.0 goals a game. While converting on 17.5 percent of their power play opportunities, the Blackhawks have done an even better job defending against them with a kill rate of 86.9 percent.

Patrick Kane has led the way all season long when it comes to scoring with a team-high 21 goals and 30 assists. Jonathan Toews is a close second with 21 goals and 25 assists, and Chicago has six other players with at least 20 points on the year. Goalie Ray Emory has been out since April 15 with a back injury, so look for Corey Crawford to get the start in this one. In 27 previous games, he has compiled a goals-against-average of 1.99.

The Canucks come into this matchup in need of just one more point to officially clinch the Northwest Division after extending their lead over Minnesota to six points with Saturday’s win. That victory pushed their record at home this season to 14-5-3 overall and 7-0 in their last seven home games. Vancouver has outscored its opponents 19-6 during this seven-game run.

The team is averaging a respectable 2.6 goals a game, but the real strength remains on the other end of the ice behind a defense that boasts a 2.3 GAA, which is ranked fifth in the NHL. Cory Schneider continues to man the net on most nights with a save percentage of .926 and a 2.15 GAA, but Roberto Luongo has done a good job in relief with a GAA of 2.34 in 18 games this year.

Blackhawks at Canucks Betting Odds and Trends

Chicago is an even-money +100 road underdog on BetOnline’s opening money line with the Canucks listed as -120 home favorites. The “over/under” line for this contest has been set at 5.

The Blackhawks are 21-6 in their last 27 road games and 11-5 in their last 16 games against a team with a winning record. The total has gone over in seven of their last 10 games on one day’s rest.

The Canucks are 8-3 in their last 11 games following a win and 5-1 in their last six games against teams from the Central Division. The total has stayed under in six of their last eight home games.

Head-to-head in this matchup, the home team has won the last four contests, and the total has stayed under in four of the last five meetings in Vancouver. They have split two previous games this season, with both ending in a shootout.

Blackhawks at Canucks Picks and Betting Predictions

The last four meetings between these two ended as a tie in regulation, with the home team winning in overtime. Therefore, it is safe to say that we are in store for another tight battle on Monday night. While a parlay with the under is a tempting play, stick with Vancouver when betting a side as once again the home team prevails.

Read more articles by Dave Schwab