Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks Betting Odds, Analysis, NHL Preview

The Chicago Blackhawks (39-18-5) are chasing the Minnesota Wild for the top seed in the West and first place in the Central Division, while the Pittsburgh Penguins (38-15-8) will have a tougher time passing the Washington Capitals in the East and the Metropolitan Division.

But both the Blackhawks and Penguins are more battle-tested in terms of the postseason, with five Stanley Cups between them over the past decade, making Wednesday's potential 2017 Final preview intriguing from a betting perspective.

Chicago is listed as a -130 home favorite (wager $130 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark, and Pittsburgh is coming off a 3-2 road loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday and will be playing on back-to-back nights.

The Penguins lead the NHL in goals per game with 3.5, and they had gone 4-1-1 in their previous six games prior to that setback at Dallas.

This matchup at the United Center will be challenging considering they have lost the past four meetings with the Blackhawks, who have also won four in a row overall.

Pittsburgh has not fared particularly well in the second game of back-to-back situations, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, going 5-6 in its last 11 games under that scenario. The under has also cashed in the second game for the Pens six consecutive times.

Going for its third straight home win after beating the Arizona Coyotes 6-3 last Thursday and the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Sunday, Chicago dominated opponents during the month of February with an impressive 9-1 mark. The lone loss for the Blackhawks came after a week off between a pair of games versus the Edmonton Oilers.

Their last six wins have all been decided by two goals or more, which is obviously important for those considering the puck line here, as their goal differential has risen to plus-28.

While these teams are probably best known for their potent offenses, with names like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for Pittsburgh and Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews for Chicago, bettors should expect a lower-scoring game.

The under is 4-0-1 in the past five head-to-head matchups at online sports betting sites and 7-1-1 in the previous nine dating back to 2009.