Free NHL Picks Today: Chicago Blackhawks vs Vegas Golden Knights 12/15/22

The Chicago Blackhawks (7-16-4) will be hoping to end their losing streak when they welcome the Vegas Golden Knights (21-9-1) at United Center on Thursday. Vegas is coming off a high-scoring 6-5 win over the Jets on Tuesday, their third win in a row away from home. The Golden Knights committed only two penalties in the game, yet still conceded a power play goal.

Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault both scored twice for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill allowed five goals on 34 shots against (.852%) in the win. Chicago dropped their fourth straight game, falling 7-3 to the Capitals on Tuesday.

Tyler Johnson, Max Domi, and Jonathan Toews each scored once for the Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek only had 23 saves on 30 shots against (.766%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Golden Knights won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 1-0 victory in October. Paul Cotter scored Vegas’ only goal. Logan Thompson saved 27 shots to earn the shutout win.

FACING OFF

Vegas is averaging 3.29 goals per game for the season, 13th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Blackhawks team that is allowing 3.67 goals a game (27th). Meanwhile, Chicago has found the net 2.41 times a game on average, 30th in the league, and the Golden Knights are allowing opponents to score 2.74 goals per game (7th).

Chicago averages fewer shots a game (25.7) than any other team in the league. With an average of 32.4 attempts, Vegas ranks 11th. The Blackhawks’ 23.53% power play percentage ranks 11th in the league, while the Golden Knights are 17th with a conversion rate of 22.47%. When it comes to penalty killing, Vegas has the league’s 24th-ranked PK% at 73.75%, while Chicago is 25th at 73.33%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Jack Eichel and Chandler Stephenson have been the top skaters for the Golden Knights this season with 29 and 27 points. In the net, Hill (7-2-1) is Vegas’ top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.38 GAA and a .914% save percentage.

Thompson (13-7-0) leads the Golden Knights in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 2.70 and a save percentage of .917%. Patrick Kane and Domi lead the Blackhawks in scoring with 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Kane has four goals and 17 assists in 27 games, while Domi has 10 goals and 10 assists in 27 games. Arvid Soderblom (2-8-2) has the best goals against average for Chicago at 3.18. He has a save percentage of .906%.