Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
Despite holding the last spot in the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks perform reasonably well on the power play, converting nearly every fourth opportunity, which places them in the top 10. However, they can easily counter this advantage with the second-best penalty kill in the league. Is there anything else the Blackhawks can leverage to defeat the fourth-ranked team in the East?
Chicago Blackhawks
Surprisingly, the Blackhawks boast a decent penalty kill rate of 82.7%, ranking seventh overall. It's indeed curious that they languish so low. But this curiosity fades when one examines their overall scoring statistics: they're 29th in goals scored (2.59 per game) and 30th in goals conceded (3.41 per game). The arrival of Anders Sörensen in early December has changed little. Over 20 matches, the Blackhawks have garnered 15 points, securing seven wins, yet they remain last in the West and third from the bottom in the entire league during this period.
Carolina Hurricanes
Over the same stretch for the Carolina Hurricanes, they've slowed down since their impressive first two months. In the first 26 games, they won 17 times (65%), but only 10 victories have come in the last 20 contests. This dip coincided with an injury to Pyotr Kochetkov in December, their main goaltender this season, while call-ups from the AHL have proven unreliable, particularly Spencer Martin, who allowed 8.5 more goals than expected. Kochetkov is expected to play against the Chicago Blackhawks, providing a significant boost for the Hurricanes. Petr Mrázek can be solid too. With him in goal, the Blackhawks recently secured a home win for the first time in five games (5:3 against the Vegas Golden Knights), though his season goals-against average of 3.24 doesn’t compare favourably with Kochetkov's 2.52.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction
In matches against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Carolina Hurricanes have consistently won in regulation over the past six games spanning three seasons, so the visitors are poised to win again.
