The Chicago Blackhawks will be looking for a little revenge when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Carolina defeated Chicago on Monday evening, 5-2.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this Central Division battle at PNC Arena. Carolina is the favorite at -238. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts Chicago at +195 as the underdog.
Chicago will be without defensemen Adam Boqvist and Calvin de Haan, as well as forwards Andrew Shaw, Jonathan Toews, and Ryan Carpenter. Cedric Paquette is questionable for Carolina on Tuesday. Brock McGinn and Jordan Martinook are out for the Hurricanes.
Loss Knocks Blackhawks Out of Playoff Contention
Chicago lost to Carolina on Monday evening, 5-2. The defeat knocked Chicago out of playoff contention, as they gave up four unanswered goals to start the game. Ian Mitchell and Alex DeBrincat scored the two goals for the Blackhawks. Marcus Subban started the game but gave up four goals on 18 shots before he was pulled.
Chicago is 17th in goals per game at 2.81 and is 14th in shooting percentage at 9.5%. The Blackhawks are ninth on the power-play at 22.4%. Patrick Kane leads the team in scoring with 47 assists and 62 points. DeBrincat is the leader in goals with 26 and has 49 total points, second on the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks are 26th in goals allowed per game at 3.27 and are 27th in penalty killing at 76.4%. Look for Kevin Lankinen to be between the pipes on Tuesday. The Chicago goaltender is 16-14-5 with a 3.04 GAA and a .908 save percentage. He allowed five goals in his last start and has allowed at least four in three of his last four starts.
Hurricanes Surge to Victory
Four unanswered goals to start the contest, including two by Sebastian Aho, put Carolina in the driver’s seat. Aho finished with a hat trick, and Vincent Trocheck added two assists in the Carolina victory. Dougie Hamilton had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 15 of 17 shots.
Carolina is third in the NHL in goals allowed per game at 2.33 and is third in penalty killing at 84.9%. It will be James Reimer between the pipes on Tuesday. Reimer is 15-5-2 with a 2.66 GAA and a .906 save percentage.
The Hurricanes are 10th in scoring at 3.21 goals per game and are 12th in shooting percentage at 10.0%. They have the best power-play in the NHL at 27.1%. With his three goals, Aho now leads the team in goals with 24 and points with 55. Hamilton leads the team in assists with 32 and is second in points with 42.
Trends:
Chicago:
- 0-4 in their last four games.
- 0-4 and their last four games against teams with a winning record.
Carolina:
- 4-0 in their last four games at home.
- 5-2 in their last seven games.
The Hurricanes showed how quickly they can get on top of an opponent. Chicago found themselves trailing by four goals before they knew what hit them. The Hurricanes have defeated the Blackhawks the last two times these teams have met and are 4-2-0 in the six meetings this season. Lankinen is struggling mightily right now while Reimer is playing solid between the pipes.
Pick: Take Carolina at -238.
The Total:
These teams combined for seven goals on Monday. That is the second straight game where seven total goals have been scored and there have been at least seven goals scored in five of the last six meetings between these teams. Scoring has not been an issue for these two teams when they square off, and I look for the over here as well.
Pick: Go over 6.0 at -110.