The Chicago Blackhawks (16-21-7) host the Vancouver Canucks (19-19-6) in a Western Conference matchup on Monday with both teams looking to end a poor spell with a victory.
Bookmaker Bovada has the Blackhawks as slight favorites for the contest offering odds at +130 for a regulation-time win. The odds are at +145 for Vancouver to win in 60 minutes and at +290 for the game to go into overtime.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 30th, 4:00 P.M. (EST)
A coaching change at the start of November provided a spark for Chicago and the team played much better for a while under interim head coach Derek King, but things have turned sour again in 2022 and the Blackhawks head into Monday’s action with a run of five defeats in six games.
Chicago was dealt a further blow in last Wednesday’s 8-5 victory over Detroit as Jonathan Toews suffered a concussion. The Blackhawks captain has been far from his best after missing last season with chronic immune response syndrome, but he’s still a big presence on and off the ice and will be sorely missed.
The Hawks have a few other injuries as well, but luckily for them Patrick Kane isn’t among them and he’s just heated up by compiling five points across the last two games. The 2016 league MVP has managed to shine even on a struggling team and he’s always performed well against the Canucks recording 41 points in 44 career games in the match-up.
The Canucks also have some injury issues, but things are looking a lot better than they were only a week ago when a number of key performers were in the COVID-19 protocols.
Vancouver has mimicked Chicago’s form over the last couple of weeks with only one victory in six outings although they have picked up more points by stretching a few games into the extra frame.
Things were looking rather bright for the Canucks when Bruce Boudreau took over the team in December and won his first seven games in charge, but it’s been a bumpy ride since then for the team and a postseason berth has started to slip away again.
In Thatcher Demko, the Canucks have one of the most promising young net-minders between the pipes and he gives the team a chance to win on most nights, but Vancouver’s offense can look very anemic at times and it’s cost them more than a few times this season. They were shut out by Chicago when these two teams last met in November and clearly a much better offensive effort is needed on Monday.
