Calgary Flames vs. Chicago Blackhawks - 1/7/20 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: Calgary Flames vs Chicago Blackhawks

Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: RSNW/NSCH

Odds/Point Spread: Flames (-125) Blackhawks (+113)

Total/Over-Under: 6.5

David Rittich and the Calgary Flames (22-17-5, 4th in the Pacific Division) head to United Center on Tuesday where they'll take on the Chicago Blackhawks (19-18-6, 7th in the Central Division). The moneyline on this game has the Flames priced at -125 and the Blackhawks are at +113. The O/U opens at 6.5. The Flames cover 45.0% of the time, having gone 18-22 SU. Chicago is covering 41.5% of the time, going 17-24 straight up.

The Calgary Flames step onto the ice with a record of 22 wins and 17 losses, putting them at 4th in the Pacific Division. During the year thus far, they have converted a total of 119 goals which has them at 11th in the conference and 22nd in the league. Their goal differential is -15, putting them at 25th in the league. The Flames have earned a total of 49 pts, which has them at 16th in the league and 7th in the West. With reference to shots toward the net, they have earned a total of 1,366 which has them at 5th in the Western Conference and 12th in the league. As a unit, Calgary has racked up a total of 706 hits which means they have an average of 16 per game. They have earned a total of 495 blocks for the year. Protecting the goal for Calgary is David Rittich from Jihlava, Czechoslovakia. He is 27 years old and has played a total of 1,945 mins defending the goal for the year. Rittich is surrendering an average of 2.81 goals per game which places him at 12th among West goaltenders and 25th among goalies in the NHL. For the year, he has surrendered 91 goals. His save percentage is .911 which places him at 15th among West goaltenders.

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The Calgary Flames came out of this game feeling pretty good about themselves with a 5 - 4 victory against the Minnesota Wild in their previous game. The Flames had a solid offensive output in this victory. In this game, they converted 5 out of the 37 shots they looked to score on. They also had 4 power play attempts and were able to net 2 goals out of those chances. Calgary ended up with 4 penalty mins in this matchup. The Corsi for the Flames was 68 and the Corsi against was 55 which gave them a Corsi percentage of 55.3%. Their Fenwick sat at 51 while the Fenwick against was 38, telling us they have a Fenwick percentage of 57.3%. They won 25 face-off wins and lost 27 of the face-offs. Their offensive zone starts came in at 51.6% and they had a PDO of 95.5 for this game. When it comes to their opponent, the Minnesota Wild put up 34 shots. They had a total of 8 minutes in the box and they notched 2 power play opportunities.

The Blackhawks will be the team across the ice and for the season they have 19 victories and 18 losses. In connection with goal differential, they are ranked 11th in the Western Conference and 24th in the league with -12. They have earned a total of 125 goals for this season which ranks them 9th in the West. Chicago has a save percentage as a team of .911 which is good for 7th in the league, which means chances to score may be limited. They have a team shooting percentage of 9.4% putting them at 8th in the West. In net for Chicago is Corey Crawford who is having a rough year by allowing 3.14 GAA and that has him ranked 26th among West goalies and 49th in the NHL. In the 1,202 minutes he's been on the ice this season, he's surrendered 63 goals. His save percentage is .905, which places him at 20th among West goalies and 37th in the NHL.

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The Chicago Blackhawks went up against the Detroit Red Wings in a matchup where the Blackhawks ended up with the victory by a score of 4 - 2. While out there on the ice, Chicago went home with a 56.0% Corsi rating. They got to that percentage by earning a Corsi of 51 and their opponent having a Corsi of 40. Their Fenwick rate was 52.4% by earning a Fenwick of 33 and the Red Wings finishing with a 30 Fenwick. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Chicago had and they showed up in this game. Their PDO at even strength was 114.7 and they finished this one with an oZS percentage of 55.0%. The Blackhawks converted 4 goals out of the 27 shots on goal they attempted. They had 3 power play chances in this game but didn't score a goal. Concerning the opposition, the Red Wings had 3 power play chances and came through by scoring 1 goal. Chicago conceded 21 shots on goal and the Red Wings earned 6 minutes in the box.

Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Calgary (-125)

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