The Vancouver Canucks have finally earned the glimmer of hope they’ve been looking for after a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night. After successfully snapping their five game losing streak, the Canucks will look to make it back-to-back wins when the Chicago Blackhawks visit Rogers Arena on Sunday night.
After their most complete performance in what seems like weeks against the Jets, in which they didn’t commit a penalty, scored two power play goals, and had excellent goaltending from Thatcher Demko, the Canucks will feel like they have the potential to get back into a playoff hunt.
Vancouver, despite their good feeling after a big win, remain 6-10-2 and 7th in the Pacific Division. Even with the still bleak outlook, the team does face an upcoming schedule which has plenty of opportunities to earn victories, and must take advantage if they want to turn their campaign around.
Sunday’s opponent, the Chicago Blackhawks, have also had a difficult start to the season as they stand at 5-9-2 and 7th position in the Central Division. Despite their poor standing right now, Chicago is trending in the right direction as they are riding a hot run of form, winning four games in the last two weeks after victories against the Penguins, Predators, Coyotes, and Kraken.
Chicago holds a bottom-five scoring offence, whilst being very open and vulnerable on the back end allowing 3.31 goal per game, good for 26th in the NHL. The Blackhawks remain capable of being dangerous on any given night as they roster a strong veteran core with the likes of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, combined with some young studs like Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach.
The Blackhawks are on the second half of a back-to-back after playing last night in Edmonton, and may come into Sunday’s game a little slow and sloppy to start like the Jets were the other night. This is something Vancouver should exploit early as they can look to jump all over Chicago’s struggling defensive core.
After starting backup Kevin Lankinen in Edmonton, Chicago should have starter Marc-Andre Fleury return to the crease in Vancouver, whilst the Canucks will likely roll out Demko fresh off another excellent performance between the pipes on Thursday.
The odds for Sunday’s game between the Canucks and Blackhawks are courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook, the official betting partner of FanSided.
Canucks vs. Blackhawks Odds and Totals:
Moneyline:
Canucks -130
Blackhawks +115
Total:
6.0 goals (over -110 // under -110)
Puckline:
Canucks -1.5 at +180
Blackhawks +1.5 at -210
Canucks vs. Blackhawks Prediction:
After being energized with somewhat of a feel-good factor following their victory over the Jets on Friday, I expect the Canucks to keep their momentum and beat the Blackhawks on Sunday night. Chicago’s winning ways over the last few weeks I believe are quite deceptive given their weak schedule during that time frame. After having to deal with the high-octane Oilers last night, getting your legs going the very next night can be difficult, and I expect the Canucks to take advantage of that. I’m backing the Canucks to win straight-up and you should too.
Pick: Canucks Moneyline -130
What are your thoughts on this upcoming matchup between the Canucks and Blackhawks? What bets will you placing for this game? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comment section!