NHL Picks: Two of the best matchups in the NHL this week have the Chicago Blackhawks at the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks at the Los Angeles Kings. Each of the two home teams will likely be slight favorites in NHL odds. Let’s take a look at both games and NHL predictions.
Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings
These two former rivals meet on Friday night in Detroit. The teams used to play each other multiple times each season but now they are in different conferences. They met twice last season with each team winning at home. The Blackhawks won 4-1 in Chicago while the Red Wings won 5-4 in Detroit. Even though the home team won each game last season, the road team has done well when these teams have met in Chicago as the Blackhawks have won six of the last ten in Detroit. The last two meetings in Detroit have gone over the NHL betting odds total.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been winning thanks to goaltending and defense as they have been in the top three in goals against in the early part of the season. The Red Wings have also been solid on defense as they are in the top ten in fewest goals allowed.
Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings
These two teams meet on Saturday just a few days after playing in Anaheim. The Ducks have definitely held their own in this series as they had won six of the last ten meetings before Wednesday’s game. Two of the last three meetings had gone over the total. The Kings did win 2-1 at home in last year’s playoffs to win their series but they had previously dropped five straight at home to the Ducks. That was unusual as the Kings have been an excellent home team in recent years. Five of the last seven in the series in L.A. have gone under the NHL betting total.
This will be the third game in four nights for the Kings as they played at home against on Thursday after playing in Anaheim on Wednesday. The Kings have been winning with defense as they are in the top five in the league in goals against, allowing less than two goals per game. The Ducks have also been very good on defense as they are also allowing less than two goals per game.
NHL Predictions
Both of the road teams should be slight underdogs in these two games so we’ll take the plus money and go with the Blackhawks and Ducks.
