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Vegas Golden Knights at Chicago Blackhawks
By Sam Batz
On Tuesday, Feb. 21st the Vegas Golden Knights travel to the Windy City to face the Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 PM EST, ESPN+). It’s their third matchup of the season as the Golden Knights and Blackhawks find themselves on opposite ends of the Western Conference standings. The Knights are tied for first place in the West, while the Blackhawks bring up the rear, 31 points behind the conference leaders. In fact, Chicago is currently in a three-way tie for last place in the entire league. Vegas will be heavily favored on Tuesday, but we shouldn’t count the Blackhawks out just yet.
Vegas Golden Knights Breakdown
The Golden Knights are the NHL’s newest addition after the owners voted in 2016 to expand the number of teams, and a year later, Vegas began play during the 2017-18 season. The Golden Knights have had remarkable success for a franchise as young as they are, recording more wins than losses in every season since their inception. Currently, the Knights are 34-18-4 with 72 points through 56 games. They lead the Pacific Division, as well as the Western Conference, and are tied for 7th place in the entire league. As of right now, FiveThirtyEight is giving the Golden Knights a 96% chance to make the postseason.
The Golden Knights are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, and have won 5 consecutive matchups, the longest current winning streak in the league. Vegas has a tremendously well-rounded team with an incredible 10 players who have scored 10+ goals on the season. Right Winger Reilly Smith leads the team with 19 goals, and starting Center, Chandler Stephenson, leads with 48 player points off of 12 goals, and a team-high 36 assists. The Golden Knights have lit the lamp 181 times (14th in the NHL) and have allowed 156 goals against (9th in the NHL). Vegas will feel confident going into Tuesday’s matchup against the Blackhawks, having already beaten them twice this season.
Chicago Blackhawks Breakdown
The Blackhawks have struggled this season. They are 18-32-5 with 41 points through 55 games. Chicago is last in the Central Division, trailing the division leaders by 31 points, and are tied, with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks, for the title of worst team in the NHL. The Blackhawks are 4-5-1 in their last 10, but are coming off back-to-back wins, over the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, in their last 2 games. It is a promising development for the floundering Blackhawks, but unfortunately won’t mean much by the end of the season, as they are being given less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs.
Chicago’s biggest issue this year has been scoring the puck. They are dead last in total goals, with 136, and are tied with the Anaheim Ducks for last place in goals per game, at 2.47 GF/G. Center Max Domi leads the team with 42 player points (15 goals, 27 assists), followed closely by Right Wing Patrick Kane with 41 player points (14 goals, 27 assists). The Blackhawks only average 26.8 shots per game, but in their last game, had 28 shots on goal and buried 5 in the back on the net. Unfortunately, Chicago’s playoff hopes have almost certainly been dashed due to their offensive woes, but that means they have nothing to lose this season, which makes them an increasingly dangerous opponent the closer we get to the end of the season.
Golden Knights Vs. Blackhawks Season Stats
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Vegas Golden Knights (34-18-4) 72 181 (14th) 156 (9th) +25 3.23 (13th) 2.79 (10th) 17-13-0 (56.7%) 17-5-4 (65.4%) |
Stat Type Pts Total GF Total GA G Diff GF/GP GA/GP Home (Win-rate) Away (Win-rate) |
Chicago Blackhawks (18-32-5) 41 136 (32nd) 199 (25th) -63 2.47 (T-32nd) 3.62 (27th) 11-16-3 (36.7%) 7-16-2 (28.0%) |
Golden Knights Vs. Blackhawks Betting Trends
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Vegas Golden Knights
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Chicago Blackhawks
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Golden Knights Vs. Blackhawks Odds
Betting odds courtesy of PointsBet:
|
Team |
Spread |
Total |
Moneyline |
|
Vegas Golden Knights |
N/A |
Ov 6.5 (-105) |
-295 |
|
Chicago Blackhawks |
N/A |
Un 6.5 (-115) |
+235 |
Check back later for the latest point spread.
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Prediction
For a safe bet, take the Vegas Golden Knights to win the game (moneyline). If you are willing to risk your money, take Chicago in the unlikely upset, but I can’t in good conscience advise anyone to take that route. The Golden Knights are a far superior team compared to the Blackhawks. Vegas leads Chicago in nearly every statistical metric, are the hottest team in the NHL right now after their 5 game winning streak, have won over 65% of their games on the road, and finally, are 2-0-0 against the Blackhawks. I predict the Vegas Golden Knights will extend their winning streak to six straight games on Tuesday, after beating the Blackhawks for a third time this season.
- Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights Moneyline and the Under.
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