The Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks meet in NHL action from the United Center on Sunday. Two teams that could use a win coming into this matchup, who gets it? Let’s dig in and find out with a Canucks vs. Blackhawks Prediction.

Vancouver Canucks Team Preview

The Vancouver Canucks come into this game on the second half of a back-to-back after a 2-1 OT loss to Minnesota on Saturday. J.T. Miller leads the Canucks with 43 points including 15 goals and 28 assists while Quinn Hughes has 39 points with 9 goals and a team-high 30 assists. Elias Pettersson’s added 38 points with 27 assists and Brock Boeser’s chipped in 36 points with a team-high 22 goals of his own. Filip Hronek’s added 27 points with 25 assists as well for the Canucks this season. Thatcher Demko’s gone 15-7 with a 2.30 GAA and a .923 save percentage in goal for Vancouver while Casey DeSmith is 5-2-2 with a 2.48 GAA and a .923 save percentage this season. The Canucks are 2nd in the West with 42 points, three behind the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vancouver Canucks Team Facts

• The underdogs have won four of the Canucks’ last five games at United Center.
• The Canucks have covered the puck line in each of their last seven games.
• The Canucks have won the second period in each of their last eight games at United Center.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in five of the Canucks’ last six games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.

Chicago Blackhawks Team Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks come into this game looking to rebound from a 7-1 loss at the hands of the Seattle Kraken in their last matchup. Connor Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 24 points including a team-high 12 goals along with a team-high 12 assists while Philipp Kurashev has 16 points with 6 goals and 10 assists. Jason Dickinson has 14 points with 9 goals and 5 assists and Nick Foligno has 12 points with 4 goals and 8 assists. Petr Mrazek has gone 7-9 with a 3.04 GAA and an .910 save percentage in goal for the Blackhawks while Arvid Soderblom is 2-10-1 with a 4.00 GAA and an .872 save percentage this season. The Blackhawks are at the bottom of the Western Conference with 19 points, one point behind the Anaheim Ducks.

Chicago Blackhawks Team Facts

• The underdogs have won four of the last five games between the Canucks and Blackhawks at United Center.
• The home team has covered the puck line in nine of the Blackhawks’ last 10 games.
• The Blackhawks have won the third period in seven of their last eight day games at United Center following a road loss.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Blackhawks’ last seven day games.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Chicago Blackhawks ranks 31st in the league for goals per game this season (2.31).
• The Chicago Blackhawks ranks 31st in the league in power play percentage this season (9.89%).
• The Vancouver Canucks ranks 1st in the league for goals per game this season (3.74).
• The Vancouver Canucks ranks 2nd in the league for goals against per game this season (2.42).

Canucks vs. Blackhawks Prediction

I’m backing the Canucks here. Do the Canucks play less effective hockey on the road? At times, but they’re still the better team by a fair margin in this matchup and I just think the Blackhawks need to show me something a bit more positive before I go out of my way to back them even as a home dog with a decent amount of plus money. The Canucks remain one of the league’s best and I think they get it done on the road here.