Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks NHL Picks & Predictions 12/23/2018

Sunday, December 23, 2018

United Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Florida Panthers travel to United Center to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, December 23, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Panthers at -105 and the Blackhawks at -115.

Florida has a record of 13-14-6 this season. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 107 goals and given up 121 goals for a point differential of -14. For the season they have an ATS record of 13-20-0 and an over/under record of 18-12-0. Chicago has a record of 13-19-6 this year. They are 6th in the Central Division. They've scored 108 goals and surrendered 139 for a goal differential of -31. Their record against the spread is 13-25-0 while their over/under record is 21-15-0.

Valuable Florida Panthers Betting Trends

The Florida Panthers are 13-20-0 straight up this year

The Florida Panthers are 18-12-0 against the over/under this season

Important Chicago Blackhawks Betting Trends

The Chicago Blackhawks are 13-25-0 straight up this year

The Chicago Blackhawks are 21-15-0 against the over/under this season

Key Florida Panthers Injuries

12/22/18 C Nick Bjugstad Upper Body is downgraded to out Saturday vs Detroit
12/13/18 C Vincent Trocheck Ankle is out indefinitely
10/23/18 C Derek MacKenzie Shoulder is out indefinitely

Key Chicago Blackhawks Injuries

12/21/18 C Marcus Kruger Concussion is questionable Sunday vs Florida
12/18/18 GO Corey Crawford Concussion IR (12/18)
12/12/18 C Artem Anisimov Concussion IR (12/09)
12/08/18 D Gustav Forsling Shoulder IR (12/08)
11/16/18 D Brandon Davidson Leg is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Roberto Luongo has 7 wins and 6 losses this season in net for the Panthers. He has 448 shots against him and he's given up 45 goals. He's made 403 saves for a save percentage of 90%. Aleksander Barkov has accumulated 33 total points this season for the Panthers. He has 15 goals this year with 94 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 18 assists on the season and averages 23 minutes played per game. Evgeni Dadonov averages 19 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 16 goals on 100 shots. He has 17 assists, giving him a total of 33 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Patrick Kane has scored 43 total points this year for the Blackhawks. He has 17 goals this season with 149 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 26 assists on the season and averages 21.9 minutes played per game. Cam Ward has 6 wins and 5 losses this year in goal for the Blackhawks. He has 529 shots against him and he's surrendered 58 goals. He's made 471 saves for a save percentage of 89%. Jonathan Toews averages 20.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 16 goals on 98 shots. He has 15 assists, giving him a total of 31 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Panthers have allowed 101 power play opportunities and have given up 23 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 77% this year. That is 23rd in the NHL. They average 35 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.24% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 88%, which is ranked 30th in the league. The Panthers have 32 total points this season, ranking 25th in the NHL in offense. They are 17th in the league with 107 goals while they've given up 121 goals, which is 5th overall. They have had 126 power play opportunities and scored 35 goals on those chances for a percentage of 28%. That is 3rd in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Blackhawks are 16th with 108 goals scored while they are 2nd in the NHL with 139 goals allowed this year. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.95%. They give up 34 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%, putting them in 27th place in the league. The Blackhawks have a total of 32 points this year, which is 27th in the NHL. They have 14 power play goals on 112 opportunities for a percentage of 13%. That ranks their power play unit 30th. They've allowed 111 power play opportunities and have given up 29 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 74%, which is 30th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Florida is 7th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 52.1%, as they've attempted 2,014 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,855 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.6% as they have 1,548 attempts while they have given up 1,394 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 6th in the league. The Panthers start possessions in the offensive zone 51.5% of the time, which is 12th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 48.5% for the season. That is 19th overall in the NHL. They have 1,059 face-off wins compared to 1,066 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.8%. That ranks them 18th in the league. On defense Florida has 701 hits and they have blocked 461 shots from the opposition, putting them 25th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Blackhawks are 11th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 51.9% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 48.1% for the season, which is 21st in the NHL. They have 1,097 face-off wins compared to 1,099 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50%. That is 16th in the league. On defense Chicago has 593 hits and they have blocked 484 shots from the opposition, which is 19th in the league. Chicago is 18th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.7% as they've attempted 2,222 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,245 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 48.1% ranks 24th as they have 1,633 attempts while they have given up 1,761 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Chicago -115

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