Two of the least-penalized teams in the league, the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks take the ice at the United Center for a Western Conference showdown. The first puck drops at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, March 26, and it’s being televised live on NBC Sports Chicago.
San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Odds
San Jose is 43-32 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 75 regular season matches, 41 of its games have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Sharks are 19-18 SU as a road team in 2017-18.
San Jose has converted on 21.0 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked first overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 84.8 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, San Jose has been sent to the penalty box just 3.3 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 5.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .918 save percentage and 26.1 saves per game, Martin Jones (29-25-7) has been the top option in goal for San Jose this season. If San Jose chooses to rest him, however, they may go with Aaron Dell (15-12-3), who has a .913 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average this year.
The visiting Sharks will be led by Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. Burns (60 points) has tallied 11 goals and 49 assists, and has recorded two or more points 14 times. Pavelski has 19 goals and 41 assists to his credit, and has logged a point in 41 games.
Chicago is 31-45 straight up (SU) and has lost 19.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 38 of its outings have gone under the total, while 34 have gone over and just four have pushed. It’s 17-21 SU as the home team this year.
Chicago has converted on just 16.2 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places it in the bottom 5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 20th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.3 percent of all penalties.
Chicago players have been penalized only 3.4 times per game in total this season, and 2.2 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 6.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Corey Crawford (27.9 saves per game) has been the top choice in goal for Chicago. Crawford has 16 wins, 12 losses, and two overtime losses to his name and has registered a .929 save percentage and 2.27 goals against average this year.
The Hawks offense will be led by Patrick Kane (26 goals, 46 assists).
San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Blackhawks, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in three of Chicago’s last five games.
This game features two clubs that fire the puck on goal a lot. San Jose has taken the league’s ninth-most shots on goal (32.9) and Chicago has attempted the fourth-most (34.3).
The Blackhawks are 5-13 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Sharks are 14-12 SU in games where they serve more minutes than their opponent.
San Jose (4-3 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Chicago has participated in only two shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
Chicago skaters have created 8.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.3 takeaways per game (ranked 15th).
San Jose has scored 3.1 goals per game overall this year, but is scoring 4.9 per match up in their past seven games (the team’s a perfect 7-0 SU over that span)
San Jose has averaged 6.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.7 takeaways per game (ranked fifth in the NHL).
San Jose might hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 17-12 in one-goal games, while Chicago is only 10-17 in such games.
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