The Chicago Blackhawks are set to face off against the Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center in Chicago tonight, in the final game of TNT’s tripleheader before the holiday break. The matchup is anticipated to continue the Blackhawks’ struggles as they remain without star rookie Connor Bedard, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
The Blackhawks are currently experiencing a five-game losing streak, and their performance has suffered significantly in Bedard’s absence. They have recorded a dismal average of just 1.75 goals per game over these four contests. Even when Bedard was in the lineup, the team ranked near the bottom of the league in key metrics, sitting second-to-last in expected goals for and 28th in expected goals against per 60 minutes.
Conversely, the Flyers have shown stronger performance metrics in comparison, being ahead of the Blackhawks in the same analytical categories. Despite the traditional advantage of playing at home, Chicago’s struggles this season have dampened their prospects for a win. Philadelphia is demonstrating a greater road winning percentage than Chicago’s home winning percentage, adding to expectations that the Flyers will extend the Blackhawks’ woes this evening.
On a player level, Trevor Zegras stands out for his scoring ability, having found the net in five of his last seven games. His teammate Travis Konecny, who plays alongside Zegras on the first line, has also contributed significantly, assisting on three of Zegras’ four most recent goals.
Tonight’s matchup has the Flyers as slight favorites with a moneyline of -120 compared to the Blackhawks at +100. As for the puck line, the Flyers are set at -1.5 (+205) while the Blackhawks are at +1.5 (-250). The over/under is listed at 5.5 goals.
The game is scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on TNT. Fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see if the Flyers can capitalize on the struggling Blackhawks and maintain their positive momentum in this key matchup.