Chicago’s Red-Hot Goaltending an UNDER Bettor’s Delight

The Chicago Blackhawks have been playing great hockey of late – and a home-and-home series with the Colorado Avalanche that kicks off Friday afternoon in the Windy City should serve as a good barometer of whether Chicago is truly improved, or just on a hot streak. The Avalanche have been treading water of late but still boast one of the top offenses in the league.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Chicago comes in as a -125 favorite, marking the sixth time in the last seven games that the home team has been favored; the hosts have won just three of the previous six games. 

Colorado News & Notes

The Avalanche continue to make do without two of their top offensive options – but they should have one of them back in the fold for Saturday’s return engagement in Colorado. Winger Mikko Rantanen is expected to see his first action since suffering a lower-body injury on October 21; he has five goals and seven assists in nine games this season.

The prognosis is less optimistic for Colorado’s other marquee absence. Winger Gabriel Landeskog remains without a timetable to return as he recovers from an upper-body injury suffered October 26 against Anaheim. The Avalanche are a middling 5-6-1 without Rantanen and Landeskog, who had three goals and four assists through his first 11 games.

Chicago News & Notes

It’s rare for one forward to dwarf the rest of his team’s top-six core in playing time – but given how well Patrick Kane is playing so far this season, it’s easy to understand why. Kane has erupted for 12 goals and 19 assists through the Blackhawks’ first 24 games; he’s 12 points clear of the next-closest teammate, while leading the way with 21:12 of average ice time per game.

But while Kane and the rest of the Chicago offense has thrived so far this month, it’s the red-hot goaltending that has made the biggest difference in the Hawks’ fortunes. Chicago ranks eighth in the NHL in goals-against average in November (2.54), despite having surrendered a mind-boggling 38.7 shots per game for the month – easily the highest rate in the league.

Betting Pick: UNDER

These teams have combined for six or fewer goals in seven of their last eight meetings, and are on track to keep that trend going in a rare Friday matinee.