The Chicago Blackhawks (+325) travel to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (-425) at Amalie Arena on Saturday. The total is 6.5 (O: -105, U: -115)Chicago (22-37-6) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a 4-3 overtime loss against the Panthers yesterday, their fourth consecutive defeat away from home.
The Blackhawks committed four penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Caleb Jones, Boris Katchouk, and Cole Guttman scored one apiece for the Blackhawks. Jujhar Khaira had two assists to lead the team in scoring.
Petr Mrazek saved only 39 of 43 shots against (.906%) in the loss. Tampa Bay (38-21-6) fell 4-3 (OT) to the Golden Knights on Thursday. Brayden Point was the leading goal scorer for the Lightning, netting twice. Andrei Vasilevskiy saved only 17 of 21 shots against (.809%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Lightning won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-1 victory in January, their seventh straight win against Chicago. Brandon Hagel (1G 1A) and Victor Hedman (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Tampa Bay. Seth Jones scored Chicago’s only goal. Brian Elliott got the win, saving 25 of 26 shots (.961%).
FACING OFF
Chicago is averaging 2.49 goals per game for the season, worst in the NHL, and they are taking on a Lightning team that is allowing 3.08 goals a game (15th).
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has found the net 3.48 times a game on average, sixth in the league, and the Blackhawks are allowing opponents to score 3.55 goals per game (25th).
Chicago averages fewer shots a game (26.7) than any other team in the league. Tampa Bay’s average of 32.2 attempts ranks 14th. Power play opportunities are likely to be plentiful for the Blackhawks, as the Lightning have been penalized 4.58 times a game, third-most in the NHL, for an average of 12.17 minutes (second-highest).
The visitors are averaging 3.62 penalties (22nd) and 9.20 penalty minutes a game (12th). The Lightning’s 26.09% power play percentage is the second-best in the league, while the Blackhawks rank 29th with a conversion rate of only 16.58%. In terms of penalty killing, Tampa Bay has the league’s 15th-ranked PK% at 79.81%, while Chicago is 22nd at 76.04%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Max Domi and Patrick Kane have been the top skaters for the Blackhawks this season with 49 and 45 points. In the net, Mrazek (8-18-2) is Chicago’s top goaltender. He has a 3.74 GAA and a .891% save percentage.
Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 94 points (3rd in the league). He has 26 goals and 68 assists (2nd) in 65 games. Vasilevskiy (29-16-4) is the top goalie for Tampa Bay with a goals against average of 2.69. He has a save percentage of .914%.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 9-19-3 away from United Center this season. Tampa Bay is 23-5-5 at Amalie Arena this season. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are 1-10 without a day off and 1-6 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Lightning are 3-1 with a rest advantage
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
TB Lightning -2.5 (-105)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your NHL needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
