NHL : Blackhawks Visit Ottawa on Thursday

The Chicago Blackhawks fly into the nation’s capital to take on the red-hot Ottawa Senators (39-22-6 SU, 37-30 ATS) on Thursday (7:30 PM ET on TSN5). The Sens are playing their best hockey of the season: they’re unbeaten in March, and have a 12-4 record over their past 16 games. That strong play has gotten them to within two points of first place in the Atlantic Division with two games in hand over the Montreal Canadiens. After being named the third star of the week in the NHL, captain Erik Karlsson (13 goals, 49 assists) has produced yet another tremendous offensive season for Ottawa; he has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) over his past four games and leads all NHL defenseman in assists.

The Chicago Blackhawks (43-20-5 SU, 32-36 ATS) are securely in second place in the Western Conference’s Central Division. They’re 8-2-0 over their last 10 games, and are positioning themselves for yet another playoff run this spring. Reigning NHL MVP, Patrick Kane (30 goals, 43 assists), has continued his scoring ways in 2016-17; he currently sits second in league scoring with 73 points – only two behind league-leading Connor McDavid. Both teams will be looking to finetune for the playoffs.

NHL Odds: Battle of Surging Teams Face Off in Ottawa

The Ottawa Senators (39-22-6) are sitting pretty with 15 games left to play in their season. They’re playing their best hockey of the season and will look to keep it up against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday (7:30 PM ET on TSN5). The Sens have gotten within two points of first place in the Atlantic Division, with two games in hand over the Montreal Canadiens.


The Chicago Blackhawks (43-20-5) have also been racking up the wins of late, going 8-2 over their past 10 games. Goaltender Corey Crawford (2.54 goals against average, .919 save percentage) has proven to be a reliable backstop for a Blackhawks team that scores an average of 2.96 goals per game.