Sunday NHL Free Pick
(The Spread) – Two teams that went in opposite directions in their previous game, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Phoenix Coyotes, will do battle Sunday night in a key game for Western Conference positioning.
Chicago is 38-28-8 on the season and 16-11-8 in road contests. The Blackhawks are seventh in the Western Conference with 84 points. Phoenix is 39-23-11 overall and 17-11-6 on its home ice. The Coyotes currently own the fourth spot in the conference with 89 points.
Oddsmakers and online sports book Bodog.com, Chicago is a -120 favorite while Phoenix is listed as a +100 underdog. The over-under is set at 5.5. The Blackhawks and Coyotes are both 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.
According to the latest trends, the home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings. The under is 27-11-2 in the last 40 meetings. The Blackhawks are 2-5 in the last seven meetings. Phoenix is 4-0 in its last four home games versus a team with a losing road record and are also 4-0 in the last four versus a team with a winning record.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Phoenix Coyotes, 8:00PM EST (View Matchup)
NHL Free Pick: People will be quick to look at Phoenix’s impressive 3-1 win at NHL-best Vancouver Friday night and also Chicago’s 5-0 shutout loss at Dallas Thursday and quickly make a snap judgment. Of course, on those particular nights the Coyotes played a very good game and the Blackhawks were something less than subpar. But looking at the greater body of work and it was probably an anomaly. Vancouver hasn’t been playing at as high of a standard right now as it did earlier in the season. In the case of Chicago, if any team can bounce back from a poor effort it is the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Chicago had one more day of rest and less miles to travel. They are favored in this one for a reason. Take Chicago.
NHL SUNDAY FREE PICK: CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS -120
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