Ottawa Senators vs Chicago Blackhawks Betting Pick & Prediction 2/17/24

Planning on watching today's Senators and Blackhawks game? Catch the action at United Center in Chicago, IL, as the Blackhawks hosts this showdown at 3:00 ET on NBCS. The Senators are the -1.5 goal favorites in this non-conference matchup against Blackhawks. The over/under for the game is set at 6.5 goals.

OTTAWA SENATORS VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Chicago Blackhawks +1.5

This game will be played at United Center at 3:00 ET on Saturday, February 17th.

WHY BET THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS:

Even though they are 1.5 goal underdogs, we see the Blackhawks winning this game by a score of 4-3.
We like the Blackhawks on the moneyline (+150)
The Blackhawks are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Will Ottawa Find a Way to Win on the Road?

On the road this season, the Senators have gone 7-13-0 and are winners of their last three road games. In games against Eastern Conference opponents, Ottawa has gone 17-14. Overall, the Senators have gone 22-26-2 and are in 8th place in the Atlantic Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference.

As the favorite this season, Ottawa has gone 13-10-0 and have been favored in 23 of their 50 games. Over their last ten games, the Senators have gone 6-4, and they have won four of their last five games. Ottawa has gone 10-7 against division opponents this year.

On the season, Ottawa has 21 losses by multiple goals and has a puck line record of 23-27. When favored, the Senators have a puck line mark of 9-14, and they have gone 7-3 against the puck line in their last ten games.

So far, Ottawa has an average scoring margin of -0.2 goals per game, and they have gone 4-6 against the puck line in their last ten road games. The Senators have won three straight games against the puck line on the road.

This season, Ottawa's games have an average of 7 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.6. The Senators come in with an over/under performance of 28-19-3.

Ottawa has played well in their previous three road games, going 3-0 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 4 goals per game while allowing 2. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 3-0.

On offense, the Senators are averaging 3.4 goals per game which is 13th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 17th in the league. The Ottawa offense is ranked 22nd in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 17th in the NHL.

Ottawa will be looking for a good game from Brady Tkachuk who leads the team in scoring with 25 goals, ranking 20th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Tkachuk has 19 assists this season.

In terms of defense, the Blackhawks head into the game ranked 5th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 32.1 shots per game against Chicago. So far, they are 26th in shutouts, achieving 1 shutouts.

Goalie Anton Forsberg gets the start and has made 16 starts this season. His record at this point is 8-8, and his save percentage is 0.481%.

Will the Chicago Defense Show Up at Home?

With a record of 14-37-3, the Blackhawks are currently in 8th place in the Central Division and 16th place in the Western Conference. At home, Chicago has gone 10-14-2 this season and have lost two straight games at the United Center. As the underdog in 52 of their 54 games, the Blackhawks have gone 13-36-3 in games as the underdog and have lost two straight games as the underdog.

Over their last ten games, Chicago has gone just 1-9 and have lost their last three games. On the season, the Blackhawks have gone 8-24 against Western Conference opponents and 3-14 against teams in the Central Division. This season, Chicago has been the favorite in just two games and have gone 1-1-0 as the favorite.

Chicago comes into the game with a puck line record of 24-30 and an average scoring margin of -1.5 goals per game. They have gone 4-6 against the puck line in their last ten games and have dropped two straight games vs. the puck line.

So far this season, the Blackhawks have gone 15-11 against the puck line at home, and they have an average scoring margin of -.6 goals per game at the United Center. In their 52 games as the underdog, the Blackhawks have gone 24-28 vs. the puck line.

This season, Chicago's games are averaging 5.6 goals per game. Their average over/under line is 6.2. The Blackhawks currently have an over/under record of 21-31-2.

Across their last three road contests, Ottawa has been good against the puck line posting a mark of 3-0. Their overall mark in these games was 3-0, while averaging 4 goals per game.

For their offensive performance, the Blackhawks come in averaging 2.1 goals per game this season, which is 32nd in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 30th in the league. Chicago's offense is currently ranked 32nd in power play goals. When it comes to shorthanded goals, they are 22nd in the league.

The leading scorer for Chicago's offense is Jason Dickinson. Coming into the game he has 16 goals, ranking 86th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Dickinson has 10 assists this season.

Goalie Petr Mrazek gets the start and has made 35 starts this season. His record at this point is 12-21, and his save percentage is 0.953%.