NHL Picks: Blackhawks top Predators, extend winning streak to eight – CBSSports.com
Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for all of the day’s games.
Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. ET
The Chicago Blackhawks have the longest active winning streak in the NHL after the Florida Panthers had their 12-game run snapped Tuesday night in Vancouver. Chicago’s hot streak, which has lasted seven games so far, has them just four points out of first place in the Central Division as the Dallas Stars have hit the first rough patch of their season.
Tuesday night, the Blackhawks will be welcoming a Central Division foe that’s in the midst of a cold spell. The Predators are clinging to the final wild card playoff spot with a game in hand on the Colorado Avalanche who also have 45 points in the standings. At this time last month, the Preds had a pretty decent cushion in wild card position, particularly on the Avs who were dead last in the Western Conference in mid-December before heating up.
Nashville has lost three straight games where they’ve been too porous. They’ve allowed 13 goals over that span. Unfortunately for them, Chicago has been scoring at a pretty high clip. Over their current seven-game winning streak, the Blackhawks have outscored opponents 29-15. On top of that, the Blackhawks will be playing at home where they are 18-5-1. The Preds, meanwhile, have a 7-10-4 record on the road.
One of those losses came in the last meeting between these two clubs. The Blackhawks earned a 4-1 win in that early-December tussle. A few days later, the Preds returned the favor with a 5-1 win in Nashville. These two clubs have three more meetings on the agenda including Tuesday night’s tilt. They’ll play twice in the next week during what could be a particularly crucial stretch of the season for Nashville.
The major difference from the first two meetings between these two clubs is that now Ryan Johansen will be a part of them. He’s appeared in just two games with the Preds so far since being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Seth Jones. He had a goal and an assist in his debut and should be seeing a lot of Jonathan Toews Tuesday night. It will be an interesting matchup to keep an eye on as Johansen keeps getting acclimated.
Additionally, Tuesday night’s contest could take on a bit more of a historical flair. Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville will be seeking his 782nd career victory behind the bench. His next victory will tie him with legendary New York Islanders head coach Al Arbour for second on the all-time wins list. He still has a ways to go to try to catch Scotty Bowman, who holds the record with 1,244 career wins, but being in that kind of company is special on its own. The Blackhawks will spend their next two games on the road, so if they have a chance to get him closer to passing Arbour while on home ice, it should make for a nice moment for the head coach who has become a local icon in Chicago. If he’s not beloved like Mike Ditka yet, he’s at least the most famous mustache in Chicago since Da Coach.
The Blackhawks have been good on home ice and seem to be scoring at a pretty high clip right now. Look for them to stay hot, extend their winning streak and inch a little closer to Dallas in the division standings. Pick: Blackhawks 4, Predators 2
The Blackhawks and Predators will square off for the third time this season. (USATSI)
The rest of Tuesday’s picks
Columbus Blue Jackets 3, New York Islanders 2
Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Carolina Hurricanes 1
St. Louis Blues 4, New Jersey Devils 2
Minnesota Wild 3, Buffalo Sabres 1
Winnipeg Jets 4, San Jose Sharks 3
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Colorado Avalanche 2
Arizona Coyotes 4, Edmonton Oilers 2
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