Saturday NHL Picks
Our team of writers and handicappers hand out their hockey picks and predictions for Saturday, February 7.
Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks, 10:00PM ET
Winning is starting to become a habit for the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s a habit the Vancouver Canucks are struggling to pick up.
The Blackhawks seek their fourth straight victory on Saturday night when they visit a Canucks team seeking consecutive wins for the first time in almost two months.
Chicago (29-13-8) lost three of four games entering the All-Star break, but has come out of the break with wins in four of the first five stops on its eight-game road trip – the second-longest in franchise history and the lengthiest for any team in the league this season.
On Thursday night, Andrew Ladd had two goals and an assist to lead the Blackhawks past Calgary 5-2. It was their third straight win overall, and helped them sweep the season series against the Flames for the first time since 1993-94.
NHL Free Pick: UNDER – View Game Matchup | Best Line: O/U 5.5 Sportsbook.com
Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks, 10:00PM ET
Chicago has reason to be confident. It is 12-3-0 versus teams from the Northwest Division, and has won all 11 of its matchups this season against Canadian teams, outscoring them 48-17.
The Blackhawks, though, will likely need to overcome Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo, who made 24 saves in Tuesday’s win. Luongo is 3-1-0 with a 0.99 GAA and a .955 save percentage at home against the Blackhawks since joining the Canucks in 2006-07.
Chicago has rotated goalies for the last 20 contests, making Saturday Cristobal Huet’s turn. He is 9-4-0 with a 1.74 GAA in his last 13 games overall, and has been in net for both wins over the Canucks this season, yielding three goals on 61 shots.
Huet will look to contain Vancouver’s newly-formed line of Mats Sundin, Pavol Demitra and Ryan Kesler, which combined for two goals and five assists in its debut Tuesday.
NHL Free Pick: Chicago – View Game Matchup | Best Line: -120 Sportsbook.com
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Posted: 2/7/09 9:39AM ET
