NHL Best Bets: Blackhawks Worth a Play as Road Underdogs

The Blackhawks have been rolling of late and have been a solid road team all season long. Backing Chicago could pay dividends on Tuesday night vs. the Wild.

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday night’s NHL slate is a big one, featuring 13 games in total. To start things off, the Canucks and Bruins meet in a rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. Also, the Blues hope to get back to their winning ways as they begin a three-game home stand after losing five of their last six. The night ends with a pair of Pacific Division teams hoping to keep pace at home when the Coyotes take on the Oilers and the Flames face the Sharks.

There’s plenty to wager on, but let’s take a closer look at two games in particular. Here are my two best bets for Tuesday:

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild: Blackhawks (+115)

Once again, bettors are getting good value on the Blackhawks—something unthinkable in the mid-2010s. After taking care of the Coyotes in Arizona via the shootout on Saturday, Chicago is seeking its seventh win in the last eight games and 14th win in the last 20.

The playoffs are now a realistic possibility for a team that was three games under .500 on Dec. 14. One could argue that the pivot point for the Blackhawks was their game against the Wild on Dec. 15. Chicago won 5-3, Patrick Kane had a hat trick and the Blackhawks were off and running from there. Minnesota, on the other hand, has sputtered since that loss.

The Wild are coming off a 6-1 home loss to the Bruins on Saturday. Including the aforementioned game against Chicago, they’ve lost 11 of their last 18 since mid-December. Starting goaltender Devan Dubnyk has allowed 3.75 goals per game in his eight starts since the Christmas break. Conversely, his Chicago counterpart, Robin Lehner, has allowed fewer than three goals per game in his eight starts in that same timeframe.

The Blackhawks have been a solid road team all season (tied for the ninth-best road record in the NHL), winning four games in a row and eight of their last nine away from the United Center. Take the plus odds on another road victory here.

San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames: Under 6 goals (-105)

The last game of the night features a sinking Sharks team that’s essentially playing out the season following the loss of Tomas Hertl, and an inconsistent Flames team that can’t seem to play up to its talent level despite currently occupying a playoff spot.

Both teams rank in the bottom third of the league in goals scored. The Sharks are 28th with 2.53 per game and the Flames are 25th with 2.64 per game. San Jose is particularly bad on the road, ranking as the second-worst team in the NHL with an average of 2.24 per game. Calgary ranks 19th in the NHL in home goals, scoring just 3.08 per contest at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

This was a low-scoring game back on Oct. 13 when the Sharks won 3-1. Expect another low-scoring game as both teams struggle to find consistent offensive production.

Season Record: 28-27-1 (-0.78 units)