Friday NHL Odds, Predictions and Best Bet – Predators vs Blackhawks Odds

• The Nashville Predators visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, December 17th
• Chicago beat Nashville 2-1 in overtime when the teams met in November
• Read below for Blackhawks vs Predators odds, predictions and best bet

The Nashville Predators (18-10-1) will aim to extend their winning streak to seven games when they face the Chicago Blackhawks (11-15-2) in Friday NHL action on December 17th. Puck drop is 8:30pm ET at United Center.

The Predators are being listed as slight road underdogs against Chicago on the NHL betting line. John Hynes’ team has won five consecutive road games, while the Blackhawks are 6-6-1 at home.

Let’s take a look at the Predators vs Blackhawks odds and offer you our best NHL bet prediction.

Predators vs Blackhawks Odds

Odds as of December 16th at Barstool Sportsbook

Predators Surging in NHL Odds

Nashville is one of the hottest team in the NHL odds entering Friday’s NHL matchup with Chicago. The Predators have won six consecutive games, including five straight road contests. The Preds beat the Stanley Cup favorites Colorado Avalanche 5-2 at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.

SIX IN A ROW@GreatClips | #Preds pic.twitter.com/Yqz3blMRsQ

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 17, 2021

Nashville’s primary strength this season has been defense, as they boast one of the NHL’s best defenseman in Roman Josi and one of the top upcoming goalies in Juuse Saros. Josi is leading in the team in scoring with 27 points in 28 games, while Saros has a .925 save percentage.

Nashville loses significant betting value when Saros isn’t starting, so that’s important to monitor in this back-to-back situation. Saros played Thursday, so backup David Rittich could start Friday. The ex-Flame is 4-3-1 on the season with a .880 save percentage and 3.10 GAA.

Blackhawks Betting Value as Home Favorites

The Blackhawks enter Friday’s game against Nashville following a 5-4 overtime victory over Washington on Wednesday. Alex DeBrincat, Philipp Kurashev and MacKenzie Entwistle scored in a 34-second span during the second period, while Caleb Jones was the OT hero.

Let’s watch all three goals in 34 seconds because we can and IT’S FUN pic.twitter.com/sZ4VoRI7yb

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 16, 2021

The Blackhawks are now 3-3 on the moneyline as home favorites and 6-6-1 at United Center overall. Chicago is led on offense by Patrick Kane, who has 24 points in 24 games. Alex DeBrincat paces the team in goals (16), while goalie Marc-Andre Fleury owns a .913 save percentage.

Chicago has struggled with consistency, as they’ve failed to win consecutive games since mid-November. Goalscoring has been a struggle, as the Blackhawks rank fourth-last in goals scored per game (2.29). The good news is their offense has scored five goals in back-to-back contests.

Predators vs Blackhawks Pick

There’s plenty of recent history for Nashville vs Chicago to help us predict how this game might play out. The two teams played once this season on November 7th in which Chicago squeaked out a 2-1 OT victory. Prior to that game, Nashville had taken seven of the past eight meetings.

Predators vs Blackhawks Recent Results

Nashville has the edge in almost every category against Chicago, including special teams. The Predators power play has been hot, clicking at 23.8% efficiency this season. It should exploit a vulnerable Blackhawks PK that ranks 22nd in the NHL at 22% efficiency.

Let’s take a look at some betting trends for Predators vs Blackhawks:

• Predators are 7-2 in the last 9 meetings
• Under is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings
• Predators are 3-2 in back-to-back situations

Nashville is clearly the better team, but there’s a large drop-off between Saros and Rittich. Considering the Preds haven’t loss to the Hawks by more than two goals in over two years, the Preds Puck Line is the play. Lay the juice and bet Nashville +1.5 at Barstool SportsBook in the Friday NHL odds.

Pick: Nashville Predators +1.5 (-265)