January 19th, 2020: Chicago Blackhawks vs Jets Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks are in the middle of a four-game win streak. After a big 6-2 victory in Toronto, how well will the Blackhawks play at home against the Jets?

The last time the Chicago Blackhawks and the Jets played was back in December. This game was also the last game Brandon Saad played in before his return last night against the Maple Leafs. The Blackhawks won their most recent meeting 4-1 in Winnipeg.

It seems to fans that the Blackhawks are getting their identity back. They are still five points from playoff contention, but they’ve played really well. They’ll be riding on high confidence after a great road trip in Canada. This game will also be their fourth game in a row against a Canadian team.

Tonight could be the night Patrick Kane gets his 1,000th career point. That is something crazy to even think about. He would be the youngest American player to get his 1,000th point. When he gets his 1,000th point, he will be the fourth Blackhawks’ player to do so.

Who has the edge?

There really isn’t a crazy edge for either team when it comes to them statically. The Jets have the 11th best Power Play, but the Blackhawks cancel that out with the sixth-best Penalty Kill. Both teams are basically dead even when it comes to faceoffs, goals for, and goals against. This really is a good matchup for both teams.

The Blackhawks did have to travel back to Chicago in the snow from Toronto. There is no word on what time the team got back, still, traveling home for the second night of a back-to-back isn’t fun. That would give the energy edge to the Jets. They’ve been in Chicago and they have had time to practice and relax. The Blackhawks haven’t.

The Blackhawks are coming off of a high-scoring game, so they might start slow, but they’ll hopefully continue the magic from last night.

Statistically

During the last five games, Jonathan Toews leads the team in points with 10. After a monster four-point night, there’s a lot to expect out of Toews. He had a great road trip. Toews knows the importance of these next few games. It’s fair to expect another great game from him.

Kane and Toews are both on point-streaks. Kane’s is nine games, while Toews’ is at five.

The Jets are being led by Kyle Connor during their last five games. He leads the team in points during those last five games with six.

In goal, Robin Lehner is everything as good as Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck has played more games than Lehner, though they’re still close in stats. With more games being played, Hellebuyck does have more wins.

Hellebuyck is 21-14-4. His save percentage is .920%. He has four shutouts and averages giving up 2.67 goals per game.

Lehner is 14-7-4. His save percentage is .923%, with no shutouts. He averages giving up 2.85 goals a game.

Betting Odds

The Blackhawks are favored. Since both teams are close, it makes sense since they are the home team. That doesn’t mean the game will be easy.

The over/under is 5.5 goals. Since the Blackhawks scored at will last night, I don’t expect them to put up six again. They’ll probably be closer to four goals scored.

We will see how Lehner matches up tonight. Corey Crawford played fantastic in Toronto, it’s Lehner’s turn to do the same tonight.