Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings NHL Picks & Predictions 3/3/2018

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Staples Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Chicago Blackhawks travel to Staples Center to play the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Blackhawks at +153 and the Kings at -170.

Chicago has a record of 27-29-8 this season and on the road they have a record of 12-15-5-1. They are 7th in the Central Division. They've scored 180 goals and given up 186 goals for a point differential of -6. For the season they have an ATS record of 27-37-0 and an over/under record of 27-34-0. Los Angeles has a record of 36-24-5 including 16-11-3-0 at home this season. They are 3rd in the Pacific Division. They've scored 189 goals and surrendered 160 for a goal differential of +29. Their record against the spread is 36-29-0 while their over/under record is 29-33-0.

Valuable Chicago Blackhawks Betting Trends

The Chicago Blackhawks are 27-37-0 straight up this year

The Chicago Blackhawks are 27-34-0 against the over/under this season

Important Los Angeles Kings Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Kings are 36-29-0 straight up this year

The Los Angeles Kings are 29-33-0 against the over/under this season

Key Chicago Blackhawks Injuries

12/27/17 GO Corey Crawford Concussion IR (12/26)
10/05/17 RW Marian Hossa Infection IR (10/03)
10/05/15 D Michal Rozsival Concussion IR (10/03)
03/02/18 D Jan Rutta Lower Body is "?" Saturday vs Los Angeles

Key Los Angeles Kings Injuries

03/01/18 C Trevor Lewis Upper Body is "?" Saturday vs Chicago

Player Spotlight

Anton Forsberg has 7 wins and 13 losses this season in net for the Blackhawks. He has 712 shots against him and he's given up 65 goals. He's made 647 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Patrick Kane has accumulated 59 total points this season for the Blackhawks. He has 23 goals this year with 227 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 10%. He has a total of 36 assists on the season and averages 20.3 minutes played per game. Jonathan Toews averages 19.6 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 16 goals on 188 shots. He has 24 assists, giving him a total of 40 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Anze Kopitar has scored 70 total points this year for the Kings. He has 27 goals this season with 159 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 17%. He has a total of 43 assists on the season and averages 22 minutes played per game. Jonathan Quick has 25 wins and 23 losses this year in goal for the Kings. He has 1,491 shots against him and he's surrendered 116 goals. He's made 1,375 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Dustin Brown averages 19.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 19 goals on 166 shots. He has 25 assists, giving him a total of 44 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blackhawks have allowed 189 power play opportunities and have given up 33 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83% this year. That is 8th in the NHL. They average 35 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.10% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%, which is ranked 15th in the league. The Blackhawks has 62 total points this season, ranking 23rd in the NHL in offense. They are 21st in the league with 180 goals while they've given up 186 goals, which is 16th overall. They have had 227 power play opportunities and scored 35 goals on those chances for a percentage of 15%. That is 29th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Kings are 16th with 189 goals scored while they are 30th in the NHL with 160 goals allowed this year. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.36%. They give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%, putting them in 2nd place in the league. The Kings have a total of 77 points this year, which is 12th in the NHL. They have 39 power play goals on 190 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks their power play unit 15th. They've allowed 218 power play opportunities and have given up 35 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, which is 2nd overall.

Advanced Statistics

Chicago is 2nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.7%, as they've attempted 4,260 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,675 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 51.7% as they have 2,983 attempts while they have given up 2,788 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 4th in the league. The Blackhawks start possessions in the offensive zone 57.5% of the time, which is 2nd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 42.5% for the season. That is 30th overall in the NHL. They have 1,961 face-off wins compared to 2,006 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.4%. That ranks them 19th in the league. On defense Chicago has 1,116 hits and they have blocked 887 shots from the opposition, putting them 24th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Kings are 15th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.6% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.4% for the season, which is 18th in the NHL. They have 1,921 face-off wins compared to 1,993 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.1%. That is 21st in the league. On defense Los Angeles has 1,657 hits and they have blocked 950 shots from the opposition, which is 15th in the league. Los Angeles is 16th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.5% as they've attempted 3,765 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,843 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.2% ranks 20th as they have 2,807 attempts while they have given up 2,893 shots on the defensive end.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Los Angeles -170

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