NHL: Tuesday Game Previews

Chicago Blackhawks @ New York Islanders Sports book odds: Blackhawks -185 The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the best teams in the Western Conference and while one of their key stars, Patrick Kane, is sour from missing out on a gold medal in the Winter Olympics, he’ll still have a chance at another prize if his team keeps it up in the NHL. The Blackhawks are second in the West, just two points behind the San Jose Sharks for the top spot, and they’ll look to continue their climb now that the winter break is over. A lot of their fans are concerned, though, as a number of their key players just played in a stretch of games that may cause some fatigue later down the road in the NHL season. Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook led Team Canada to the gold medal while Patrick Kane helped the US Team to silver. Also, Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky played an integral role in Slovakia’s fourth-place finish. Fatigue shouldn’t factor against the Islanders, though, as they are simply a weak squad as is. Betting Tips: Blackhawks -185 Vancouver Canucks @ Columbus Blue Jackets Sports book odds: NO LINE YET The Vancouver Canucks had a brief break, but now they are back at it. They will continue their 14-game road trip in Columbus on Tuesday now that the Olympic break has passed. The Canucks are tied for the lead in the Northwest Division and are 4-4 in their first eight road games this year. Vancouver has won two of three from Columbus this year but the Blue Jackets could be a little fresher. They only had one Olympian while the Canucks sent several to the Games. Betting Tips: Blue Jackets Edmonton Oilers @ Nashville Predators Hockey Betting odds: Predators -245 The Edmonton Oilers are in shutdown mode and with the NHL trade deadline on Wednesday, they are ready to start breaking the team down. There are very few untouchables on their roster as they aim to quickly rebuild but first they need to dump some big contracts. Meanwhile, Nashville is still playing for a playoff spot and they are going to care about this game a little bit more. As of today, they are only two points inside the playoffs so they need to keep winning games to keep the heat off. Betting Tips: Predators -245