NHL Playoff Betting: Blackhawks vs. Predators Series Preview & Pick
Stanley Cup Betting fans sure are getting their money’s worth from the free NHL picks we give out here at Capperspicks.com. There are now 16 teams competing for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Stick with us for the entire 2015 NHL Stanley cup playoff run.
Two legitimate threats to take home the Cup begin their quest Wednesday night when the Chicago Blackhawks, a perennial payoff powerhouse begin their second season against the Nashville Predators. Nashville will have to hope that Pekka Rinne steals the series – on paper the Preds don’t match up all that well with an experienced Chicago team that has win two Cups since 2010 and has appeared in two Western Conference finals over that span.
G1 Wed., April 15 Chicago @ Nashville, 8:30 p.m. ET SN 360
G2 Fri., April 17 Chicago @ Nashville, 9:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G3 Sun., April 19 Nashville @ Chicago, 3 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G4 Tues., April 21 Nashville @ Chicago, 9:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G5* Thurs., April 23 Chicago @ Nashville, TBD TBD
G6* Sat., April 25 Nashville @ Chicago, TBD TBD
G7* Mon., April 27 Chicago @ Nashville, TBD TBD
Blackhawks vs. Predators Odds To Win 7 Game Series:
Blackhawks Series Prices -135
Predators Series Prices +115
With the Kings and the Bruins playing golf, the Chicago Blackhawks are left as the most experienced and successful playoff teams the last six year. Simply put there is no team with the pedigree that the Hawks have heading into the postseason. It’s true that Chicago is a different team without Patrick Kane in the lineup but Kane is expected to return to the team at some point in the playoffs making a strong team even stronger.
A look at the offensive numbers for both teams is surprising to say the least. Chicago ranked 16th in the NHL in goals for this past season while Nashville was 12th. In terms of defense, the Hawks were 2nd in the league allowing just 2. 26 goals per game and Nashville was 8th allowing 2.44 per contest.
Offense
Not a whole lot of teams could have handled the loss of one of their best offensive weapons but that’s what the Chicago Blackhawks did when Patrick Kane went down with a broken arm. Captain Jonathan Toews shouldered more of the scoring load, left wing Patrick Sharp began to play better, Marian Hossa and Brandon Saad each had their moments and Andrew Shaw, Brad Richards and Marcus Kruger found ways to contribute. The addition of Antoine Vermette and Andrew Desjardins at the trade deadline didn’t hurt either. Chicago’s depth has been challenged and has passed the test so far – the team will need a bit more production going forward but still this team is awfully hard to doubt.
The Nashville Predators looked average offensively at times during the second half of the season – perhaps they overachieved in the first half! Still, armed with super-rookie Filip Forsberg and potential comeback player of the year Mike Ribeiro, the Preds are no joke in the offensive zone. Center Colin Wilson was OK but tapered off in the second half; Mike Fisher and Craig Smith were part of a formidable second line and the addition of Mike Santorelli to a bottom six unit that included Paul Gaustad was a boon for the club. Taylor Beck and Gabriel Bourque were decent in their roles as well.
When all is said and done the Hawks definitely have the edge offensively heading into this series – if Kane gets back before too long, the Hawks become one of the most dangerous scoring teams in the postseason.
Defense
Defensively is where Nashville is at least even with the Blackhawks. Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Seth Jones and Matthias Ekholm are one of the most mobile and defensively sound top four in the game. Ryan Ellis and Cody Franson are a very god third pair. The Hawks still have Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Nik Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya to bolster the second best overall defense in the game. 40 year old Kimmo Timonen was added for depth at the deadline but looks past his prime.
Goaltending
In goal Nashville seems to have a slight edge with Pekka Rinne getting back to form after an injury-plagued season last year. But Corey Crawford may have something to say about that. After injuries himself Crawford has returned to full health and to elite status as we head into the postseason. Rinne – he’s been a tad below his high standard since returning from injury in January which closes the small gap between the two starters.
Prediction:
Both teams limped into the playoffs – the Hawks went 5-5-0 in their last 10 games while the Preds were just 4-3-3 in their last 10. The biggest X-factor in this series is the one that I am focusing on the most – experience! Chicago saw their path to the Final get a little easier when their kryptonite Los Angeles got eliminated – don’t think that fact is lost on the Hawks. Chicago is built for the playoffs and should be able to dispatch a Preds team that looked a step slower in the second half of the season. It’s pretty hard to count out the Hawks in the first round of any playoff series – so I’m not.
Take Chicago -135 to win in six games.
