Free NHL Picks Today: Chicago Blackhawks vs Tampa Bay Lightning 1/3/23

Free NHL Picks Today: Chicago Blackhawks vs Tampa Bay Lightning 1/3/23
Tue 3rd January 2023

Two teams headed in opposite directions meet at United Center on Tuesday as the struggling Chicago Blackhawks (8-24-4) welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning (23-11-1), who will be looking to extend their winning streak. Tampa Bay is coming off a high-scoring 5-3 win over the Coyotes on Saturday, their third win in a row.

The Lightning committed only two penalties in the game, holding Arizona without a power play goal. Five players found the net for the Lightning. Victor Hedman had three assists to lead the team in scoring. Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 31 shots against (.903%) in the win.

Chicago dropped their fourth in a row, falling 5-2 to the Sharks on Sunday. Patrick Kane and Sam Lafferty each scored once for the Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek saved only 23 of 28 shots against (.821%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Lightning won both games between the teams last season, including a 5-2 victory in their final meeting in April, their sixth straight win against Chicago.

Ross Colton (2G 1A) and Nicholas Paul (0G 3A) each had three points to lead Tampa Bay. Alex DeBrincat and Calvin de Haan were on the scoresheet for Chicago. Vasilevskiy got the win, saving 21 of 23 shots (.913%).

FACING OFF

Tampa Bay is averaging 3.57 goals per game for the season, fifth in the NHL. The visitors will hope to improve on that figure against a Blackhawks team that is allowing 3.75 goals a game (29th). Meanwhile, Chicago has found the net 2.19 times a game on average, 32nd in the league, and the Lightning are allowing opponents to score 2.89 goals per game (13th).

Chicago averages fewer shots/game (26.4) than any other team in the league, while the team’s 8.3% shooting percentage is 31st. With an average of 32.0 attempts, Tampa Bay ranks 15th.

The Lightning’s 27.64% power play percentage is the fifth-best in the league, while the Blackhawks rank 22nd with a conversion rate of 20.00%. When it comes to defending power plays, Tampa Bay has the league’s eighth-ranked PK% at 82.30%, while Chicago is 25th at 73.21%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 53 points this season, fourth-most in the NHL, Nikita Kucherov is the top skater for the Lightning. He leads the league with 40 assists and has added 13 goals of his own. In the net, Vasilevskiy (16-9-1) is Tampa Bay’s top goaltender.

He has a 2.42 GAA and a .921% save percentage.Kane leads the Blackhawks in scoring with 27 points. He has seven goals and 20 assists in 36 games. Arvid Soderblom (2-10-2) has the best goals against average for Chicago at 3.45. He has a save percentage of .894%.

HOME AND AWAY

Tampa Bay is 8-7-0 away from home this season. Chicago is 5-13-2 at United Center this season.

SportsTips’ NHL Pick:

TB Lightning -2.5 (+110)

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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.

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