Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks Prediction, 3/5/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks

Date: Friday, March 5, 2021

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Lightning (-145) Blackhawks (+131)

United Center is the site where Kevin Lankinen and the Chicago Blackhawks (12-7-4) will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (15-4-1) on Friday. The Blackhawks open this game at +131 while the Lightning are coming in at -145. The total opens at 6.

The Lightning were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 2-0 win over the Stars in their last contest. The Lightning didn't have a great showing offensively in the victory. For the outing, they scored on 2 out of the 19 shots they looked to score on. They also had 5 power play opportunities and scored 1 goal. Tampa Bay garnered 15 penalty minutes in this matchup. The Corsi for the Lightning came in at 37 and the Corsi against when the final whistle blew was 50 which had their Corsi percentage coming in at 42.5%. Their Fenwick came in at 27 and the Fenwick against finished at 37, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 42.2%. They accounted for 22 face-off wins when at even strength and lost on 11 opportunities to win the face-off. Their offensive zone starts came in at 33.3% and their PDO was 108.3 for this one.

The Lightning have had 559 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .930. When playing at even strength, the Lightning have given up 31 goals while notching 53 themselves. Tampa Bay Lightning opponents have tallied 70 power play tries (15th in professional hockey) and have a total of 8 goals in those attempts. For the season, they have racked up 31 points and their points percentage comes in at .775. Tampa Bay has taken 582 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 12.2%. When discussing scoring goals, the Tampa Bay Lightning have earned 71 goals (9th in the league) so far this year and have given up 39. Tampa Bay comes into the game with 68 power play opportunities and they have scored 18 goals out of those attempts, giving them a rate of 26.47%.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Curtis McElhinney. McElhinney has been in net for 240 contests during his hockey career. He has earned a mark of 92-90-18 and he has gotten the start in 188 games. The opposition has racked up 586 goals against McElhinney in his pro hockey career and his goals against average is 2.82. McElhinney has seen 6,420 shots against him and has accrued 5,834 total saves. His save percentage is at .909 for his 12,477 mins guarding the cage. During his career on the ice, McElhinney is sitting with 89 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .473.

When they were on the ice last, Chicago played the Red Wings in an outing where the Blackhawks earned a win by a final of 7-2. Chicago had a 42.0% Corsi rating. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Chicago played and they put on a good performance in this one. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 40.2% by way of having a Fenwick of 35 and the Red Wings earning a 52 Fenwick. They had a PDO of 119 and they had an oZS percentage of 38.4%. The Blackhawks had 7 goals out of the 32 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 1 power play attempt in this outing and earned 1 on that opportunity.

During this campaign, the Chicago Blackhawks have 72 goals, 28 points, in addition to a points percentage of .609. They have allowed 66 goals to be scored by way of 49 goals at even strength and 17 goals while they were shorthanded. The Blackhawks have accumulated 50 goals at even strength and 22 goals (3rd in pro hockey) while on the power play. They have earned 66 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play rate of 33.33%. Chicago has attempted 704 shots (9th in professional hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 10.23%, while allowing the opposition 780 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 75.00% on the other teams 68 power play tries, and their save percentage is currently 91.5%.

On the other side of the ice you are going to see Kevin Lankinen between the pipes. Teams are averaging 2.55 goals per game and he has conceded 39 goals overall. Lankinen's percentage of quality starts sits at 66.7% and he has made 10 quality starts in his professional career. He has been a starter 15 contests and has played for a total of 917 minutes. Lankinen has accrued a career record of 9-3-3 and has participated in 15 contests. He has gathered 477 stops out of the 516 shots taken, giving him a save % of .924.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Guy's Pick: Take Chicago (+131)

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