Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators Prediction, 4/3/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators

Date: Saturday, April 3, 2021

Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Odds/Point Spread: Blackhawks (+110) Predators (-133)

Juuse Saros and the Nashville Predators (19-18-1) play the Chicago Blackhawks (17-16-5) at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday. The Blackhawks open this matchup at +110 while the Predators are priced at -133. The over/under opens at 6.5.

The Blackhawks were on the wrong end of the scoreboard with a 4-3 defeat to the Hurricanes their last time on the ice. The Corsi for the Blackhawks was 34 and the Corsi against was at 50 which had their Corsi percentage coming in at 40.5%. The offensive zone starts for them came in at 54.3% and they had a PDO at even strength of 103.9 for this one. Chicago garnered 6 penalty minutes for this contest. The Blackhawks had a middle of the road offensive output in the loss. Their Fenwick came in at 22 and the Fenwick Against sat at 37, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 37.3%. They totaled 31 face-off wins when at even strength and lost on 32 attempts to win the face-off. Additionally, they had 3 chances with the advantage but weren't able to score. For the matchup, they converted 3 of the 25 shots they put on net.

Chicago Blackhawks opponents have recorded 109 power play opportunities (16th in hockey) and have come away with 28 goals in those chances. The Blackhawks have had 1,289 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .909. Chicago has tried 1,097 shots and has a shot percentage of 9.8%. While at even strength, the Blackhawks have given up 89 goals while getting 76 themselves. Chicago has compiled 116 power play chances and they have notched 31 goals during those advantages, garnering them a percentage of 26.72%. For the year, the have a total of 39 points and their points percentage is sitting at .513. With respect to their scoring capabilities, the Chicago Blackhawks have accumulated 107 goals (14th in the NHL) so far this year and have given up 117.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Kevin Lankinen. Lankinen has played in 26 games over the course of his NHL career. He has a win-loss mark of 13-9-4 and was named the starter in 26 games. Opponents have tallied 71 goals versus Lankinen in his professional career and his goals against average per contest is 2.71. Lankinen has seen 883 shot attempts taken against him and he has 812 saves. He has a save percentage of .920 in his 1,574 mins in the crease. Throughout his time in hockey, Lankinen has tallied 16 quality starts and his quality starts rate sits at .615.

When they were on the ice last, Nashville played the Stars in a game where the Predators ended up losing by a score of 4-1. They had 3 power play opportunities in this contest but weren't able to score a goal. The Predators tallied 1 goal of the 22 shots on goal they were seeking. They had a PDO at even strength of 96 and they finished this one with an oZS percentage of 50.0%. Nashville wound up with a 37.2% Corsi rating. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that Nashville had and you might say they will look for a better outcome in their next outing. They earned a Fenwick percentage of 37.7% by way of having a Fenwick of 23 and the Stars having a 38 Fenwick at even strength.

Nashville has attempted 1,153 shots (4th in pro hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 8.07%, while allowing their opponents 1,173 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 72.13% on their oppositions 122 power play tries, and their save percentage sits at 90.4%. They have earned 113 power play chances and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 20.35%. The Predators have 70 goals at even strength and 23 goals (13th in the NHL) while having more men on the ice. They have allowed 113 goals to be scored by of a combination of 79 goals at even strength and 34 goals while they were shorthanded. During this campaign, the Nashville Predators have accumulated 93 goals, 39 points, in addition to a points percentage of .513.

On the other side of the ice you are going to see Juuse Saros in net. He has a tally of 3,692 stops out of the 4,018 shots taken against him, which gives him a save % of .919. Saros has accumulated a career record of 65-43-16 and has participated in 139 games. He got the starting nod in 123 games and has played 7,706 minutes. Saros' quality start percentage comes out to 59.3% and he has made 73 quality starting assignments in his career. Opponents are averaging 2.54 goals per contest and he has given up 326 goals altogether.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Chicago (+110)

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