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Chicago vs. St. Louis: NHL Match Prediction
On January 1, you can watch the Winter Classic in the NHL. Chicago and St. Louis will fight in the open air. Both teams did not approach this confrontation in the best shape, but they will clearly try to please hockey fans as much as possible. Our experts have prepared a forecast in which they will tell about the recent performances of the clubs and help to decide on bets
Command Analysis
Chicago Blackhawks
USACurrent form
Chicago continues to be in decline, and the losing streak has already reached four games in a row. The team completed a series of away games, which began away to Calgary, where there were huge problems in defense, which ultimately led to a 4:6 defeat. Goalie Mrazek showed his worst side, reflecting 82% of the shots. Then the team fought an even more powerful opponent, in the person of Minnesota, and this time lost by a smaller margin of one goal (3:4). The Hawks played worst of all against Buffalo, suffering a rout (2:6). This time Mrazek had to be replaced at the beginning of the second period, as he missed as many as four goals in the starting segment.
The home walls also did not help the club achieve the desired result. In the match with Dallas, the defense again failed to cope with its main task, allowing the obvious favorite to create and realize dangerous moments near its goal. The attacking line did not particularly try to compensate for the failures in defense, and in three periods was able to make only 25 shots on the Stars' goal. Due to such weak performances, Chicago continues to remain the main disappointment of the Western Conference, occupying the last line in the table.
Disqualifications and injuries
What remarkable is that Chicago is playing with almost its full roster. Only Brossoit is in the infirmary.
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, Chicago scores 2.6 goals per game.
The club poor performance remains its main problem.
- The Hawks average seven penalty minutes per game.
But the team is distinguished by good discipline and rarely breaks the rules.
St. Louis Blues
USACurrent form
It might seem that St. Louis had recovered from its slump, as it began to earn points consistently. The team was almost able to win against the clear favorite, Florida, having suffered an offensive defeat in overtime (1:2). They lacked a little in converting moments in attack, of which there were plenty. But away to Detroit, the club demonstrated its best game, defeating the Red Wings with a score of 4:0. In particular, it is worth praising the efforts of goalie Binnington, who reflected all the shots and made a shutout. Returning to the home arena, the Notes consolidated their success, leaving no chance for Nashville (7:4). The attacking line showed itself from the best side, but the most productive player was defenseman Fowler, who scored a puck and gave two assists.
True, the Blues were unable to achieve a third victory in a row. In the match with Buffalo, they again had problems with converting moments in attack, and the defensive line also did not play reliably enough, which together led to a 2:4 defeat. This time, Binnington showed his worst side, reflecting only 77% of shots.
Disqualifications and injuries
St. Louis has three players in the infirmary: Abravom, Krug and Leddy. Faksa is also questionable.
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, St. Louis allows three goals per game.
The team continues to have problems in defense, which prevents it from consistently earning points.
- The Blues converted just 15% of their power play attempts.
It is also worth noting the very weak power play.
Trends
Goal in each period bet – yes
In four out of five head-to-head matches, the teams scored a goal in each period
1.45Bet 2nd period: total under 1.5 goals
In four of the six head-to-head matches, the teams failed to score more than one goal in the second period.
2.39Tip and bets
The last time the clubs met outdoors was in the 2017 Winter Cup, when St. Louis won a confident 4-1 victory. Once again, the Hawks are not in the best shape for this matchup and are unlikely to take revenge, given all the club’s problems. Indeed, the Blackhawks have recently stopped giving a worthy rebuff to their competitors and have suffered defeats time after time. The Blues will definitely be able to take advantage of their competitor’s slump and win the upcoming match, which is what we suggest betting on.
Our prediction is a St. Louis victory at 2.16
Bet on total
The upcoming match is unlikely to be particularly productive, as Chicago is experiencing serious problems in attack, and St. Louis alone will not be able to break the total of more than six goals.
Forecast - total under six goals for 1.80
Bet on the outcome of the first period
St. Louis, due to their significant superiority over their opponent, will try to create serious pressure on Chicago and is quite capable of earning an advantage already at the end of the opening period.
Prediction: St. Louis win in the first period with a handicap of (0) for 1.70
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