The Avalanche have dominated the Blackhawks in many of their recent meetings, and our NHL picks expect more of the same tonight.
NHL
The Chicago Blackhawks host the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday evening at the United Center at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Colorado has dominated this matchup over the past half-decade, winning 14 of the past 19 meetings. All but one of those wins have come by at least a two-goal margin, and my Avalanche vs. Blackhawks predictions believe that success will continue Wednesday.
Read on for my NHL picks for Wednesday, January 8.
My best bet
Avalanche -1.5 (+108 at FanDuel)
My analysis
This matchup is one of those where it would take a massive upset for the Chicago Blackhawks to win, and we’ll live with that unlikely result if it happens. However, I find that result even more unlikely than the NHL odds suggest, given the Colorado Avalanche are the superior team in every facet of the game.
Chicago is one of the worst two-way teams in the league, ranking in the Bottonm 5 in both goals scored per game and goals allowed per game. The Hawks’ analytics suggest that positive regression is unlikely, given they rank last in xGF/60, 24th in xGA/60, and 30th in expected goal differential per 60 minutes.
By comparison, Colorado ranks fifth, 13th, and seventh in those respective categories. Not only are the Avs stronger in all three zones, but they also possess the clear goaltending advantage with Mackenzie Blackwood projected to patrol the crease.
He has arguably been the league’s second-best netminder since joining the Avalanche. Blackwood has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his nine starts with his new team, posting a 7-1-1 record over that stretch with a .938 SV% and 1.69 GAA.
With the stronger offense, defense, and goaltender, there’s little reason to believe the Avs won’t beat the Blackhawks by 2+ goals for the 14th time over the past 20 meetings.
Avalanche -1.5
Mikko Rantanen anytime goalscorer
Nathan MacKinnon Over 0.5 assists
If we’re backing Colorado to win by 2+ goals, then we need some of its skaters to find the back of the net. There’s no better candidate to do so than Mikko Rantanen, who’s on fire with a goal scored in each of his past five games.
He leads the team in both goals and power-play goals, two categories he’ll most likely be near the top of the league in at the end of the year. Additionally, if we’re backing Rantanen to score, then there’s an increased probability Nathan MacKinnon will be involved.
MacKinnon skates alongside Rantanen on both the first line and first power-play unit, which is why he’s assisted eight of Rantanen’s past nine goals.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Colorado has won 14 of the past 19 meetings between these two teams, with 13 of those victories coming by 2+ goals. Find more NHL betting trends for Avalanche vs. Blackhawks.
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Tony Sartori has written over 1,000 pieces of sports betting content across multiple different media outlets. He covers the NHL, UFC, PGA, NFL and MLB. Tony started part-time while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he went on to receive a B.A. in Economics and a certificate in Entrepreneurship in 2022. He continues to work full-time in the sports betting landscape.
Due to the variety of sports he covers, Tony is handicapping every day. If he had one piece of betting advice for a new sports bettor, it would be to strictly enforce bankroll management rules for yourself. If you set aside $10,000 for your betting bankroll, then you should generally only be betting between $100 – $500 per play.
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