The NHL schedule is not going to be busy on Wednesday, March 23, with four games to be played including a Western Conference clash, so don’t miss out on the best Blackhawks vs. Ducks betting pick and odds.

These conference foes have met on two occasions this season, both time in Chicago and each time the Blackhawks were better. They will be looking for a season sweep here.

The Ducks are -120 moneyline favorites with the total being set at 6 goals, according to Bookmaker Sportsbook.

Chicago is on a losing run

The Chicago Blackhawks are pretty much out of the playoff picture this season, and it seems that they are not even trying anymore. The Blackhawks lost each of the last three games and recorded just six wins since February 1.

The most recent 6-4 home loss to the Winnipeg Jets exposed the Blackhawks’ defense that allowed four goals in the second period. Chicago did manage to cut the deficit to just one goal, but Blake Wheeler scored an empty-net goal for the visitors and closed this encounter.

Kevin Lankinen will start at the goal against the Ducks on Wednesday. The 27-year-old goaltender has a 3-8-4-0 record this season with a 3.51 GAA and a .889 save percentage without shutouts. The Blackhawks are allowing 3.44 goals per game (25th in the NHL) and are scoring 2.60 on the other end (26th) on a 9.1 shooting percentage (23rd).

Anaheim is struggling at the moment

The Anaheim Ducks are even in a worse form than the Blackhawks; they are going through their weakest period of the campaign with seven consecutive losses. Actually, a blowout 8-3 road loss to Chicago was a catalyst for this poor streak, and the Ducks didn’t score more than three goals during this stretch.

The latest 6-3 defeat to the Nashville Predators at home was surprising, considering the result was 2-2 after the opening two periods. Nashville destroyed Anaheim in the last 20 minutes, while the Ducks’ goalie John Gibson allowed six goals on just 31 attempts. Derek Grant, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Trevor Zegras each recorded two points for the Ducks in this loss.

John Gibson will get a chance to make amends as he will start at the goal again, this time around against the Blackhawks on Wednesday. The 29-year old goaltender has a 17-20-5-4 record this season with a 3.09 GAA and a .905 save percentage with one shutout. The Ducks allow 3.15 goals per game (21st in the NHL) and score 2.80 a night (22nd) on a 9.4 shooting percentage (18th).

Trends:

Chicago:

  • 1-4 in the last five games overall
  • 4-12 in the last 16 games against an opponent in the Western Conference

Anaheim:

  • 13-5 in the last 18 games as a favorite
  • 9-4 in the last 13 games as a home favorite

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks Pick

This one is going to be hard to predict because both teams are struggling. However, the Ducks will be more motivated as they still have chances of getting to the playoffs, which cannot be said for the Blackhawks.

Also, the Ducks will be looking to avoid the season sweep against the team that is not even close to the playoff picture. Anaheim owns Chicago one for the aforementioned 8-3 loss; it was the Ducks’ biggest defeat of the season.

Pick: Take the Anaheim Ducks at -120

The Total

Gibson will be desperate to show a way better performance following his recent loss against Nashville. I expect Anaheim’s goalie to play better in this one, but Chicago’s goaltender Lankinen is not very reliable this season. That said, I believe he will be under heavy fire from the Ducks and will let multiple goals, four or more. Marc-Andre Fleury was at the goal for the Blackhawks in the latest H2H duel and conceded three, so I expect Lankinen to have problems here.

The total has gone Over in five of Anaheim’s last seven games against Chicago, while the total went Over in eight of the Ducks’ previous 11 games against an opponent in the Western Conference. On the other side, Over is 7-2 in the Blackhawks’ last nine overall, while Over is 6-2 in Chicago’s previous eight games as an underdog.

Pick: Over 6 goals at +100