Chicago Blackhawks – Minnesota Wild: a clash of extremes in Illinois 
Chicago welcome Minnesota for a regular-season meeting that looks one-sided on paper. The home side are in the middle of a nightmare season, plodding through the West’s lower reaches.
Minnesota, by contrast, sit comfy among the contenders and are still pushing to lock down top spots. Can the Blackhawks muster anything to stop the skid, or will the Wild take the two points as expected? We break down the trends and single out the best play.
Chicago in trouble 
Sitting 14th in the West with 61 points from 66 games (175 goals for, 213 against), the Blackhawks are struggling badly. This campaign has been torpedoed by defensive holes that keep costing them. Their latest outing was a proper hiding from Vegas (0-4), where they were steamrolled early and conceded three in the first period.
To be fair, just before that collapse they had two tidy 3-2 wins over Utah (home and away). Small mercy. Overall form is still fragile. In their last ten games they’ve managed just three wins — two of those needed overtime. They have too many problems dictating play.
The Minnesota Wild have hit a slight bump 
Minnesota look a lot healthier. Firmly in 3rd in the West with 88 points from 67 games (224 for, 192 against), the Wild are having a big season and belong among the contenders. Lately, though, the engine has spluttered. In their last five outings they’ve collected just one win — admittedly a tidy 5-0 demolition of Utah.
Their most recent match ended in a surprise home defeat to Toronto (2-4). More worryingly, the attack has gone quiet: in four of their last five games they failed to score more than two goals. The forwards will need to wake up tonight to avoid a trap game.
NHL pick Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild
Over 5.5 goals in the game
Minnesota are the clear favourites, but don’t sleep on Chicago — they’ve caused the Wild headaches recently. Believe it or not, the last two meetings finished 3-3 in regulation. That tells you everything: both teams open up, they attack, and they leave dangerous gaps.
Chicago’s defence remains one of the softest in the conference. And even if Minnesota’s attack has cooled off, they’ve got the quality to kick back into life and punish a leaky backline. Given the home side’s porosity, the visitors’ firepower and the high-scoring history between these teams, Over 5.5 goals looks like the sharp, sensible play tonight.
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