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Football Playoffs
Last Updated: January 3, 2025 7:36 AM EST • 2 min 40 sec read.
The Christmas break had an altogether different effect on the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens, the latter of whom have won three straight against Stanley Cup odds contenders the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights, outscoring them 12-4 in their buildings. 
Martin St. Louis’ squad has won five of the last six and four of five in enemy rinks, returning them a .500 points percentage for the first time since Oct. 28. They are now just three points adrift of the final wild-card spot. 
On Friday, they’ll face a Blackhawks team at the United Center (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+) that has lost five in a row and 12 of the last 16. Our Canadiens vs. Blackhawks prediction expects the combatants’ current form to play a critical role. 
Odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.
Best odds: +135 via Betway | Implied probability: 42.55%
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The Canadiens are enjoying their best run of the season, both in terms of results and form. They’ve scored at least four goals in six of the previous seven, averaging a league-best 4.43 goals per game. 
Four of those games were on the road, and the only exclusion came against the Golden Knights, where they scored three. Eight players netted in the last two games, a different goalscorer each time the Canadiens lit the lamp.
Cole Caufield has two goals in the last three games, Kirby Dach, one of the most unlikely to chip in offensively, has three in three, and Jake Evans is searing hot, scoring five in the previous six. 
Chicago’s defense has taken a step backward, allowing at least four goals in each game during their current five-game skid. It hasn’t mattered who has been between the pipes, with Petr Mrazek conceding 17 in his last three starts and Arvid Soderblom letting nine get by him in the previous two. 
Overall, the Blackhawks allow the seventh-most goals per game (3.39) and are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for conceding the fourth-most per 60 minutes 5-on-5 (2.88). In the five games since Dec. 20, they’re allowing a swollen 5.40, which is 1.40 more than Seattle’s second-worst defensive record. 
Their recent malaise, amplified by Soderblom and Mrazek’s struggles, has seen their goals against above expected billow to 9.97, the fourth most. A winning $10 bet will profit $13.50. 
NHL picks made Friday; odds subject to change.
Best odds: +600 via Betway | Implied probability: 14.29%
Evans is on the run of his career, scoring five goals in the last six games. He scored five in the previous 31, showcasing how white-hot he’s been since Dec. 20. At some point, this run will stop, and when it does, Evans will most likely return to the 0.12 goals per game he’s averaged during his almost six seasons in the NHL. 
I hope a few more goals are left in that hot stick before it cools off, which, invariably, it will. It’s a swinging-for-the-fences pick, and it would profit $60 on a winning $10 bet. 
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