Red Wings Blackhawks Betting – Blackhawks Return Home To Face Red Wings Tuesday
The Chicago Blackhawks’ struggles hit a peak last week when they dropped a ninth-straight game to fall to seventh in the Western conference standings. However, just when it seemed like it was time to hit the panic button on a team that many considered among the sports betting favorites in the west, the Blackhawks responded with a four-goal first period outburst against the top team in the Eastern conference and cruised to a 4-2 road win over the New York Rangers. A date against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday ended a season-high nine-game road trip on a positive note but it won’t get any easier for Chicago now on home ice as they welcome the Detroit Red Wings to town on Tuesday.
Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks
Tuesday February 21, 2012 – 8:00 PM ET
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
NHL Sportsbook Line: Chicago Blackhawks
For as bad as the Blackhawks have been of late, they also have won five of their last six games on home ice and should be anxious to get back in front of the fans at the United Center. Meanwhile, an NHL-record 21 straight wins on home ice has pushed Detroit to the top of the Western conference standings, even though they haven’t been excellent on the road.
Red Wings Blackhawks Betting Preview: Detroit Red Wings
Despite winning 24 of a possible 27 games on home ice, the Red Wings have hovered around .500 on the road this season, and will need to be better as the visitors in order to finish first in the Western conference, unless they plan on winning every game they have left at the Joe. Detroit managed to continue its impressive play even with starting goaltender Jimmy Howard out with a broken finger, and should be that much stronger with its No. 1 netminder back between the pipes.
Red Wings Blackhawks Betting Preview: Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks sure could use a netminder like Howard at this point, as fans continue to cry out for them to make a move before the trade deadline to acquire a goalie capable of stepping ahead of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery. While neither of those netminders has been great, it’s impossible to put all the blame on them behind a Chicago defense that hasn’t been the same all year. With the Blackhawks struggling to score, their defensive deficiencies are that much more prominent, so it is up to the offensive stars like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to step up and make things happen.
Red Wings Blackhawks Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
Chicago has been excellent on home ice, and the Red Wings haven’t been very good on the road, yet still this game appears to favor Detroit as they are playing a more complete game at this point in time. The Red Wings have shown that they are good enough to win regardless of the man they have in goal, and will come prepared as they face a test against one of the top sports bet contenders in the west.
Red Wings Blackhawks Betting Pick: Detroit Red Wings
