Chicago Blackhawks (14-27-4) vs. Vancouver Canucks (18-25-3)
The 2022-23 NHL season continues with a huge 11-game Tuesday slate including the Western Conference showdown from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, so here’s the best Blackhawks vs. Canucks betting pick.
Chicago and Vancouver start their three-game regular-season series. The Canucks open as firm -220 moneyline favorites, and the totals are listed at 6.5 goals.
The Chicago Blackhawks have surprisingly won six of their previous eight games overall. They are still sitting bottom of the Central Division, but the Blackhawks are no longer the worst team in the Western Conference.
Chicago is coming off Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat against the Los Angeles Kings that stooped its three-game winning streak. The Blackhawks took just 19 shots toward LA’s goalie and didn’t deserve to get anything from this clash.
“With their 1-3-1 defense, they were kind of mugging it up on us,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “It’s legal moving interference, and we didn’t have the energy to break through it.”
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— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 23, 2023
Petr Mrazek guarded the cage in Los Angeles and yielded a couple of goals on 27 shots. He’s now 5-11-1 with a 3.87 GAA and .886 save percentage in 2022-23. Alex Stalock (6-6-1; 2.70 GAA; .918 SV%) is questionable to play Tuesday due to a concussion, so Mrazek should get another starting call. The Blackhawks allow 3.58 goals per game (27th in the NHL) and score just 2.40 in return (31st).