Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks head tо Long Island tо take оn the New York Islanders. Both teams are having slow starts tо the season and are at the bottom оf their respective divisions. This will be the 1st time these 2 teams face each other this season.
New York is 11-12-7 so far and are 6th in the Metro Division. They started the season off with a firing offense and have since gotten lost. Forwards Anthony Duclair and Mat Barzal were both lost tо injury, but Duclair has been skating іn practice, sо hopefully they see him return soon.
The Islanders are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games and come into this game off a loss to the Kings Tuesday night. They are 5-7-2 at home this season, so you can see being home doesn’t make them feel more comfortable.
Their power play and penalty kill both rank іn the bottom оf the league and are hurting them. New York іs only averaging 2.5 goals forced per game, but are allowing 3 goals per game, sо that doesn’t work out well. Goalie Ilya Sorokin іs expected tо get the start. He has struggled himself with a 8-8-4 record, but he can’t dо іt all himself.
Blackhawks Will Look To Build Off Big Win Over Rangers
Chicago is 9-17-2 this season and are 7th in the Central Division. They struggle on the road with a 5-9-2 record and are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. The Hawks come into this game off a big win over the Rangers Monday night.
This team is still in a rebuild stage where they have their center piece in Connor Bedard but are still looking for long time players for him. Right now, all they’ve been able to find are veteran players looking for a home. Bedard does lead the team in assists (16) and points (21).
They allow over 30 shots on goal and a little over 3 goals per game on defense. Chicago doesn’t commit a lot of penalties, ranking 10th best in penalty minutes, and has a great penalty kill. They kill 82.5% of the time, which is tied for 6th best.
Goalie Arvid Soderblom is expected to get the start for Chicago. He is 2-6-1 this season but has a 2.41 GAA and a .921 save percentage. Soderblom needs offensive help badly as he is doing his part in net. Let’s check out the odds and get into the picks.
Chicago Blackhawks Vs New York Islanders Betting Odds
Puck Line
Chicago Blackhawks +1.5 (+140)
New York Islanders -1.5 (-165)
Moneyline
Chicago Blackhawks +160
New York Islanders -190
Totals
Over 5.5 (-105)
Under 5.5 (-115)
Chicago Blackhawks Vs New York Islanders Prediction And Picks
I think this is a great bounce back spot for the Islanders. They just played a tough Kings team, and this is a nice game at home to get back in the win column. Now, there is no value on the moneyline and the spread is questionable, so we’re taking the under.
Sorokin has had a very shaky season, but he does have a sub 3 GAA. We all know he can be fantastic in net on a good night, which he is due for. Soderblom has been solid this season with a sub 2.50 GAA and will be playing a very low offense team.
Just like the Islanders, the Blackhawks are a very underwhelming team on offense. I like both goalies to have under there saves lines. We probably see a very similar game to the Blackhawks vs Rangers game the other day. With the way both of these offenses are, I’ll be staying away from offensive props!
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