Two Central Division Cellar-Dwellers Hope to Turn Things Around in Chicago

In the NHL’s most competitive division, the Chicago Blackhawks (19-19-6) and Nashville Predators (19-16-7) will meet on Thursday hoping to get back on track and make a run at the postseason despite the odds being stacked against them. Both teams are aiming to follow the path of last year’s Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues as the Blackhawks host the Predators, who are small road favorites in the second game for new head coach John Hynes.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

There has been early support for the visiting Nashville club with Hynes settling into his position following the firing of Peter Laviolette on Monday. The Predators are up to -140 road chalk and could climb even higher as the more talented of the two Central Division foes.

Nashville News & Notes

The timing of a new head coach for Nashville comes much later than when St. Louis fired Mike Yeo last season but follows a similar pattern that other hopeful Western Conference contenders such as the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks started earlier this year.

All of those aforementioned teams not named the Blues made the playoffs in 2019 with the goal of hoisting the Cup and ultimately fell short, but hope to get another chance to win it all in 2020. The Stars have already begun their turnaround and climbed into a tie for second place in the Central. The Predators are looking for a similar rise and have the talent to do so if Hynes can find a way to follow through with his part. Notching his first victory here would be a nice start.

Chicago News & Notes

Chicago is in a similar conundrum but at least turned in a decade of excellence with three Stanley Cup titles in six years (2010, 2013 and 2015). The big problem for the Blackhawks now is trying to turn the page with an extreme mixture of veterans who have played on those Cup teams (Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Corey Crawford, to name a few) and youngsters who have not yet figured out how to consistently win at this level (i.e. Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach).

The good news is Kane and Toews are still in their primes, but the bad news is they may not be by the time this team can become a Cup contender again. Several names have been mentioned in trade rumors, and Chicago’s performance leading up to the all-star break will likely determine who stays and who goes.

Betting Pick: OVER 6.5

Nashville has given up 11 goals in losing its last two games, with both easily going OVER the total. The Preds have also not seen less than five goals scored in a game in almost a month (December 10), so the odds of the OVER cashing for the 11th time since then are very good.