Author: DaveB

NHL Free Pick: Blackhawks vs. Predators Lines and Preview

Blackhawks lead series 1-0

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Weekly NHL Betting action sees the Chicago Blackhawks taking on the Nashville Predators April 17 at Bridgestone Arena. Cappers Picks provides free NHL handicapping tips all season long.

The Nashville Predators played about as well as they could through the first half of Game 1 against Chicago but it still wasn’t meant to be. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead the struggling Preds surrendered four straight goals en route to a 4-0 double OT defeat. Nashville has now lost seven straight games and now face the reality that one of the most dominant teams of the decade has a chance to put a real stranglehold on the series.

Daily NHL Hockey Odds

Chicago (49-28-3-3) at Nashville (47-25-5-6)
When: 9:30 PM ET, Friday, April 17, 2015
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Broadcast: NBCSN, SN, SN360, TVA3, CSN-CH, SPSO

Chicago Blackhawks +1½ -310 +101 Ov 5 -124
Nashville Predators -1½ +260 -111 Un 5 +113

Perhaps the Blackhawks got lucky in Game 1 but the experience edge that they own against Nashville was further magnified in the come-from-behind win. Chicago didn’t panic and methodically clawed their way back despite an ugly effort by Corey Crawford and a slow start but the offense.

The best news, outside of Wednesday’s result for Chicago is that goaltender Corey Crawford may have gotten his bad game out of the way. He allowed three goals on 12 shots and was pulled from the net after looking totally out of sorts. Backup Scott Darling emerged to steal the game with 42 saves in nearly 68 minutes of action. Prior to Game 1 Crawford had a 1.78 GAA and .944 save percentage in his previous four starts – as good as he had been all season long.

Expect Crawford to rebound Friday – he absolutely has to be better.

Chicago’s offense was as advertised – dangerous when given the chance. Patrick Kane played 23 minutes and recorded two assists, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toes, Nick Hjalmarsson and Duncan Keith scored and Keith, Toews, Marian Hossa and Kane all had multi-point games. This is the Hawks time of the season – scary if you are a Predators fan.

The Nashville Predators seem to be finding new ways to lose- seven straight losses and 10 losses in their last 12 games at home is definitely reason for alarm. So is the play of Pekka Rinne who looked OK Wednesday night but wasn’t able to be the difference maker that the Predators so require. Rinne has lost his last five starts with a 3.24 goals-against average and .871 save percentage – yikes!

Offensively the guns for Nashville failed to show up – Mike Ribeiro, Filip Forsberg, James Neal and Mike Fisher were all held pointless in the game – Fisher’s availability is in question after leaving in the second period of Wednesday’s game. That said, Nashville did score three times on the second best defense in the NHL but the defense and goaltending let them down.

NHL Gambling Trends

• Under is 5-2-1 in CHI last 8 Fri. games.
• NAS are 0-8 in their last 8 vs. Central.
• Over is 6-1-3 in NAS last 10 overall.
• Over is 6-1-2 in NAS last 9 vs. Western Conference.

There simply isn’t a whole lot to love about Nashville right now – they have been awful at home and have now lost seven straight games overall. Chicago smells blood – they gained a ton of confidence with every waning moment of Game 1. I expect the bleeding to continue Friday and for the most experienced and perhaps most professional team in the NHL to take full advantage. Without Pekka Rinne in absolutely top form this series is a mismatch!

NHL Betting 4* Free Play

Chicago Blackhawks +101

NHL Playoff Betting: Jets vs. Ducks 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.

The upstart Winnipeg Jets will have upset on their minds when they open their first playoff series since moving from Atlanta in 2011 against the top Western seed Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. The Ducks have lost a Game 7 at Honda Center to a lower-seeded team in each of the past two postseasons and absolutely should not take the Jets lightly – Winnipeg is quick, they are big and they are as hungry a team as there is in the playoffs this year.

G1 Thurs., April 16 Winnipeg @ Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G2 Sat., April 18 Winnipeg @ Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G3 Mon., April 20 Anaheim @ Winnipeg, 9 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G4 Wed., April 22 Anaheim @ Winnipeg, 9:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet
G5* Fri., April 24 Winnipeg @ Anaheim, TBD Sportsnet
G6* Sun., April 26 Anaheim @ Winnipeg, TBD Sportsnet
G7* Tues., April 28 Winnipeg @ Anaheim, TBD Sportsnet

Jets vs. Ducks Odds To Win 7 Game Series:

Jets Series Prices +155
Ducks Series Prices -175

The Winnipeg Jets squeaked into the playoffs thanks to a terrific stretch run and a physical brand of hockey that made them one of the most difficult teams to play against the final month of the season. The Ducks on the other hand cruised down the stretch and were atop the Western Conference standings all season long. It looks, on paper as though it could be a cakewalk for Anaheim in the first round but there aren’t many that would be shocked to see the Jets add to the first round woes of the Ducks.

Offense

Offensively the Ducks seem to have an overwhelming advantage in the series. That said the Ducks finished the season 11th in the NHL in scoring with 2.79 goals per game while the Jets were 16th with an average of 2.69. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey are one of the best top lines in the game and Ryan Kesler was a difference-making second line center during the Regular season.

Jiri Sekac, Kyle Palmieri, Andrew Cogliano, Rickard Rakelland Jakob Silfverberg provide terrific depth for Ducks while Nate Thompson is a good fourth-line center, and Patrick Maroon and Tim Jackman provide size and grit.

The Jets have a stellar top line of their own – Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler were superb all season long and will be a handful indeed. Mark Scheifele, Drew Stafford and Mathieu Perrault are a very good second unit and Michael Frolik, Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty add the depth needed in the tough Western Conference.

Simply put the Ducks are talented but the offensive gap isn’t as great as most people would think ahead of this series. The Jets should be able to hold their own and if they can limit the effectiveness of Anaheim’s top line, they have a fighting chance in this series.

Defense

Winnipeg may hold an advantage in terms of their defense corp. Tyler Myers was a stellar add at the trade deadline, Dustin Byfuglien is an absolute nightmare to play against in both ends of the rink and Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba and veteran Mark Stuart fill out one of the most underrated top five in the game.

Anaheim enters the postseason without a true shutdown D-Man. James Wisniewski, Simon Despres, Francois Beauchemin, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler and Clayton Stoner make up a good, not great defensive unit – they finished in the bottom half of the League in goals allowed per game and in 5-on-5 play and are a huge question mark as we head into the postseason.

Goaltending

Goaltending may be the difference between winning and losing in the postseason for both of these teams. Neither team has a legitimate #1 – Frederik Andersen slightly underperformed during the regular season for Anaheim while Ondrej Pavelec was up and down over the course of the season for Winnipeg. Pavelec unlike Andersen however certainly picked up his game down the stretch.

Pavelec enters the playoffs with as much confidence as any keeper in the Western Conference while Andersen knows he will be on a short leash. Coach Bruce Boudreau won’t be afraid to make a switch between the pipes for the Ducks – not exactly confidence-inspiring for the Western Conference champs.

Prediction:

Intensity and physical play rule the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Jets have been playing with that level of emotion for a month. I think that’s the difference in this series. Despite Anaheim’s stellar Regular Season there are holes in their game – they have been prone to letdowns in the playoffs and the Regular Season. Tyler Myers and Dustin Byfuglien should be able to give Anaheim’s top line fits – if you shut down the Ducks top dogs and take them out of their game, the top seed can be had.

I love the upset in this series – Winnipeg’s size, their skill and their heart has me believing! Take the Jets +155 in 7 games!

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.