Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks NHL Picks & Predictions 12/28/2017

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Rogers Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Chicago Blackhawks travel to Rogers Arena to play the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, December 28, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Blackhawks at -115 and the Canucks at +104.

Chicago has a record of 17-13-5 this season and on the road they have a record of 7-8-3-1. They are 5th in the Central Division. They've scored 103 goals and given up 94 goals for a point differential of +9. For the season they have an ATS record of 17-18-0 and an over/under record of 13-20-0. Vancouver is 15-17-5 including 6-10-3-1 at home this season. They are 7th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 98 goals and surrendered 121 for a goal differential of -23. Their record against the spread is 15-22-0 while their over/under record is 21-16-0.

Valuable Chicago Blackhawks Betting Trends

The Chicago Blackhawks are 17-18-0 straight up this year

The Chicago Blackhawks are 13-20-0 against the over/under this season

Important Vancouver Canucks Betting Trends

The Vancouver Canucks are 15-22-0 straight up this year

The Vancouver Canucks are 21-16-0 against the over/under this season

Key Chicago Blackhawks Injuries

12/13/17 D Cody Franson Upper Body IR (12/08)
10/05/17 RW Marian Hossa Infection IR (10/03)
10/05/15 D Michal Rozsival Upper Body IR (10/03)

Key Vancouver Canucks Injuries

12/16/17 D Christopher Tanev Groin IR (12/13)
12/14/17 LW Sven Baertschi Jaw IR (12/09)
12/07/17 C Bo Horvat Ankle IR (12/05)
11/27/17 C Brandon Sutter Upper Body IR (11/25)

Player Spotlight

Patrick Kane has accumulated 35 total points this season for the Blackhawks. He has 15 goals this year with 122 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 20 assists on the season and averages 20 minutes played per game. Jonathan Toews averages 19.7 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 9 goals on 96 shots. He has 13 assists, giving him a total of 22 points on the season. Corey Crawford has 16 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Blackhawks. He has 842 shots against him and he's given up 60 goals. He's made 782 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Player Spotlight

Thomas Vanek has scored 23 total points this year for the Canucks. He has 10 goals this season with 72 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 13 assists on the season and averages 13.7 minutes played per game. Brock Boeser averages 16.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 21% by scoring 20 goals on 95 shots. He has 14 assists, giving him a total of 34 points on the season. Jacob Markstrom has 9 wins and 12 losses this year in goal for the Canucks. He has 751 shots against him and he's surrendered 71 goals. He's made 680 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blackhawks have 39 total points this season, which ranks them 19th in the NHL. They are 17th in the league in goals scored with 103 while they've given up 94 goals, ranking them 26th overall. They have had 137 power play opportunities and have scored 19 goals on those chances for a percentage of 14%. That is 29th in the NHL. The Blackhawks have allowed 114 power play opportunities and have given up 20 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 10th in the league when short-handed. They average 35 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.48% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%. That puts them 4th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canucks are 27th in the NHL with a total of 35 points this year. They have 28 power play goals on 128 opportunities for a percentage of 22%. That ranks them 9th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 132 power play opportunities and have given up 30 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 77%. That is 27th in the NHL. As a team, the Canucks are 26th in the league with 98 goals scored while they've given up 121 goals, which is 3rd overall. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.96%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 24th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Chicago has a Corsi percentage of 53% as they've tried 2,293 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,031 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 4th in Corsi percentage. They are 12th in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 51.1% as they have 1,618 shots while they've given up 1,548 attempts on defense. The Blackhawks start possessions in the offensive zone 57.9% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 42.1% for the year. That puts them 2nd and 30th in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 1,064 face-off wins as opposed to 1,138 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.3%. That is 25th overall in the NHL. On defense Chicago has 667 hits and they've blocked 483 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 26th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Canucks start possessions in the offensive zone 50.7% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.3% for the year. That ranks them 16th and 20th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,091 face-off wins as opposed to 1,161 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.4%. That is 28th in the league. On defense Vancouver has 668 hits and they've blocked 471 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 27th in blocked shots. Vancouver is ranked 27th in Corsi percentage with 48.4% as they've tried 1,966 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,099 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 28th in the NHL at 47.5%, as they have 1,472 shots while they've given up 1,628 attempts on defense.

Who will win tonight's Blackhawks/Canucks NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Vancouver +104

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