Blackhawks vs. Coyotes Odds
| Blackhawks Odds | +158 |
| Coyotes Odds | -192 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -102 / -120 |
A Central Division tilt concludes Monday night's NHL slate as the seventh-place Arizona Coyotes host the last-place Chicago Blackhawks.
Low-scoring affairs are typically in store when these clubs square off; there have been six or fewer total goals scored in six of their past nine meetings.
Will we see another low-scoring game on Monday evening?
Here's a look at the Blackhawks vs Coyotes odds, as well as my betting pick and prediction.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Hawks once again sit in the basement of the Central, though this team has already made some improvements since last year.
The 3-5 record is not indicative of their play, which certainly hasn't been great but hasn't been terrible either.
Chicago has faced a gauntlet of an opening schedule with six of its first eight games coming against teams that were in last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs. There have been six or fewer total goals scored in six of those eight outings, which is a product of two variables.
First, the offense is still terrible despite the addition of Connor Bedard (and it's certainly not his fault). At 5-on-5, the Blackhawks rank 23rd in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60).
Second, the goaltending has been tremendous. Whether Petr Mrazek or Arvid Soderblom gets the nod between the pipes on Monday doesn't matter; both guys have looked equally impressive and boast save percentages north of .912.
Arizona Coyotes
Arizona features a relatively similar set of circumstances as Chicago. At 5-on-5, the Yotes rank 24th in xGF/60.
Also like the Hawks, the goaltending has been solid for Arizona thus far.
Backup goaltender Connor Ingram gets the nod on Monday for the Coyotes, and he has performed better than his .889 SV% suggests.
That number is being weighed down by his tough outing against Los Angeles, a game in which he allowed three goals on nine shots for a .667 SV% before getting pulled in the first period. An obviously tough night for Ingram, but those type of nights can happen to any netminder in this league.
In his other two starts this year, Ingram allowed just two goals in each game and finished with a SV% north of .922 in both outings.
Blackhawks vs. Coyotes
Betting Pick & Prediction
If there is any spot to bounce back in for Ingram, it is against the Hawks and their underwhelming offense. In his two career starts against Chicago, Ingram boasts a .933 SV% and 2.44 GAA.
We are catching plus-money on the "under 6" here because both blue lines are poor. However, both offenses are just as inefficient.
The one thing the Yotes have going for them offensively thus far this year is their power play, ranking sixth in the league at nearly 27%. With that said, the penalty kill has been one of the few things the Hawks have done well, stopping opponents on the man advantage at nearly an 89% clip, which is the sixth-best mark in the league.
I like the Under 6 here at +114 via FanDuel (listed under "Total Goals (Flat Line"), but I don't think it's a bad play either if you prefer to take Under 6.5 at -114.
