The United Center will be the site for an intriguing clash as the Chicago Blackhawks square off against the visiting Florida Panthers. This East-West matchup will get going at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 21, and it is being shown live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks Odds
Florida is 27-21 straight up (SU) and has earned 3.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 28 of its contests have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just three have pushed. The Panthers are 11-11 SU on the road in 2019-20.
Florida has converted on 23.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 23rd in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of its penalties.
Florida, as a collective unit, has been sent to the penalty box 3.3 times per game this season, and 4.6 per game over its last five road outings. The team has had to defend opponent power plays 11.8 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Sporting a .897 save percentage and 26.4 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (19-17-4) has been the top option in goal for Florida this year. Bobrovsky did just play last night, however, so the team may choose to rest him and go with Chris Driedger instead (6-3 record, .932 save percentage, 2.35 goals against average).
The visiting Panthers will be led by Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Huberdeau (64 points) is up to 18 goals and 46 assists, and has recorded multiple points 19 times. Barkov has 16 goals and 37 assists to his credit (and has registered at least one point in 30 games).
Chicago is 24-26 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 3.5 units this year. Through 50 regular season matches, 25 of its games have gone under the total, while 24 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 12-14 SU as the home team this year.
Chicago has converted on just 15.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the bottom 5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Blackhawks have been penalized 3.4 times per game this season, and 2.7 per game over their past ten games. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 5.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Robin Lehner has stopped 32.1 shots per game as the top option in goal for Chicago. Lehner has 15 wins, 13 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit and has registered a mediocre 2.81 goals against average and a .924 save percentage this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Patrick Kane (24 goals, 38 assists).
Florida Panthers vs. Chicago Blackhawks Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five matches.
Penalties and power plays may play a critical role in tonight’s game. The Panthers are 14-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 20-18 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Blackhawks are 7-10 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 17-19 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Florida is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Chicago is 2-4 in shootouts.
Chicago skaters have forced 8.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 8.4 takeaways per game (ranked 7th).
Florida has averaged 3.7 goals per game overall this year, but has raised it up to 5.2 per contest over their five-game winning streak.
Florida is ranked fifth with 8.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as the team has created 7.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.8 takeaways over its last five.