The NHL rolls on, very slowly and with masks but, the NHL does have 6 games going tonight. Not too many marquee matchups tonight with the best game being between the Capitals and Jets.
Just like yesterday, I’ll provide the most up to date news on all of the games going tonight in relation to any COVID issues.
News and Notes COVID related:
- Washington Capitals @ Winnipeg Jets
- Washington has several players out with COVID 19 including Kuznetsov, van Riemsdyk, Dowd, and Hathaway
- The Jets head coach stepped down today, so they’ll have an interim behind the bench tonight
- Arizona Coyotes @ Anaheim Ducks
- Arizona has one player out with COVID-19 (Crouse) and also has several other injuries
Nashville Predators @ Chicago Blackhawks
- Time: 8:30 PM ET
- TV Coverage: ESPN+
- Nashville Predators: 17-10-1, 4th Atlantic (9-5-1 Away)
- Chicago Blackhawks: 11-15-2, 7th Central (6-6-1 Home)
| Team | Opening ML | Current ML | Spread | Total |
| Nashville Predators | -132 | +100 | +1.5 (-250) | o5.5 (+115) |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +107 | -120 | -1.5 (+210) | u5.5 (-125) |
Trends:
- Predators are 5-0 in their last 5 overall.
- Over is 5-1-1 in Predators last 7 games playing on 0 days rest.
- Under is 8-1-2 in Blackhawks last 11 vs. Central.
- Blackhawks are 1-5 in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest.
Preview:
Nashville Predators
The Predators are coming off a hard fought game last night where they faced Colorado. Both of these teams have several key players out with COVID-19.
Offensively, Nashville has been middle of the road with a -2.82 Goals For Above Expected and an average of 2.33 Goals For Per 60. The Predators have been solid on the Power Play ranking 8th. However, Chicago has been a disciplined team this season so I’m not sure how many opportunities they’ll get.
Defensively, the Predators have been much better with an average of 2.06 Goals Against Per 60. They have a -4.74 Goals Against Above Expected which ranks 13th. One area of concern is their Penalty Kill ranking 24th especially given the number of penalty minutes they average.
David Rittich is expected to start in net for the Predators tonight. Rittich has a -3.7 GSAx on the season through his 5 starts. Juuse Saros is the other goalie who may get the start and has been much better. He has a +8.9 GSAx on the season through 22 starts.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have failed to rattle off back to back wins since the start of December. They’re coming off a solid win against Washington where they held off the Capitals rally late to win in Overtime 5-4. This was the second time they beat the Capitals this month.
Offensively, the Blackhawks haven’t been great with the second worst Goals For Per 60 (1.7). They have a -3.38 Goals For Above Expected which is middle of the road. While this metric ranks better it’s more telling of the lack of opportunities that Chicago is generating. Chicago currently ranks 31st in Shots on Goal Per Game generating only 29 High Danger Shots For.
Defensively, Chicago has been slightly better… They average 2.66 Goals Against Per 60 but have only given up 36 High Danger Shots Against. Another concerning statistic for Chicago is that their +10.81 Goals Against Above Expected which ranks 4th worst.
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to get the start in net tonight with a -4.1 GSAx on the season. He hasn’t been great as of late allowing 4-0-5 goals in his last three starts. The only game he was good in, where he allowed 0 goals, was against Montreal who has a horrendous offense.
Picks:
- UNDER 5.5 (-115)
- One angle I see in this game that favors the Predators is in regards to the Shots Allowed. Chicago ranks 31st in Shots on Goal For while Nashville ranks 5th in Shots on Goal Allowed. The Blackhawks struggle to generate chances and with the Predators being able to shut teams down, it definitely favors Nashville.
- I’m going to stay away from a side in this game and instead go with a play on the total. The total is only 5.5 in this game and given the expected goalies I’m going Under 5.5 here.
Teams that will be playing back to back games: Buffalo, Vegas, and Nashville
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
