The Nashville Predators (25-21-2) play the grudge match of a three-game set against the Chicago Blackhawks (22-20-5) Friday at United Center. The puck will be dropped shortly after 8 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Predators-Blackhawks odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
The Predators won Monday’s meeting in Nashville by a 5-2 count but took a 5-4 overtime loss Wednesday in Chicago. Nashville is 6-0-1 in the head-to-head season series, but two of its wins were decided beyond 60 minutes. This is the final meeting of the 2021 season.
Nashville remains fourth in the Central Division and has a tenuous hold on the division’s final playoff spot. Chicago is sixth and will be hard-pressed to qualify for the postseason with a very difficult remaining schedule.
Predators at Blackhawks: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:25 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Predators -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Blackhawks +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Against the spread/ATS: Predators -1.5 (+195) | Blackhawks +1.5 (-250)
- Over/Under: 5.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Predators at Blackhawks: Projected starting goalies
Juuse Saros (16-9-1, .925 SV%, 2.32 GAA) vs. Malcolm Subban (6-5-1, .911 SV%, 2.86 GAA)
Saros went 9-1-0 with a .952 save percentage from March 23-April 13, but he has slumped of late with a 1-2-1 record and 13 total goals allowed in his last four games. He has struggled on the road with a 4-7-1 record, .908 SV% and 2.92 goals against average through 13 games as a visitor.
Subban stopped 36 of the 40 shots he faced Wednesday. It was just his second home win in four outings at United Center; he owns a .897 SV% and 3.65 GAA at home.
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Predators at Blackhawks: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Predators 3, Blackhawks 1
Money line (ML)
The Preds are shorthanded on offense with LW Filip Forsberg (upper body) out of the lineup, but there’s still plenty of firepower to bounce back against the lower-seeded ‘Hawks.
Nashville registered 50.47% of the total shot attempts and 56.60% of the scoring chances at 5-on-5 Wednesday and deserved a better fate than the overtime loss.
Back the PREDATORS (-125) to close out the head-to-head season series.
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Against the spread (ATS)
The PREDATORS -1.5 (+195) are a considerably more profitable play on the puck line, where they need to win by 2 or more goals.
They have the edge in the goaltending matchup and had beaten the Blackhawks by 2 or more goals in three of four games before Wednesday’s loss.
Over/Under (O/U)
Back the UNDER 5.5 (-105).
The last two games were the only ones in the season series to play to the Over, and the most recent was with an uncharacteristically poor outing from Saros.
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