Hunter Skoczylas shares a preview, prediction and pick for Wednesday’s NHL matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers.

The Blackhawks host the Rangers on Wednesday night at the United Center, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. ET. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Blackhawks are +120 home underdogs on the Moneyline, and the game’s total is set at O/U 5.5 goals. Igor Shesterkin and Spencer Knight are the starting goaltenders.

Below, I’ll provide a preview, prediction and pick for Wednesday’s tilt between the Blackhawks and Rangers.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. New York Rangers prediction, preview

Blackhawks preview

Despite the strong stretch of play from late October to mid-November, the Blackhawks have dropped eight of their last 10 games and have been outscored 13-1 in the past two games alone. The club has also dropped four of its last five games at home, and having to face the league’s best road team is going to be a tall task.

Chicago will turn to Spencer Knight for the start between the pipes, but he has struggled since mid-November, going 2-3-2 with a 3.00 GAA and .889 SV%. The offense isn’t helping much, either, ranking fourth-to-last in 5v5 Corsi % while allowing the sixth-most 5v5 goals against per 60. It is hard to ignore Connor Bedard and his 40 points through 29 games, but Chicago is simply not scoring goals, nor creating enough chances to give them opportunities to do so. Thankfully, the special teams have been above average, ranking ninth in PP% and sixth in PK%.

Rangers preview

New York is a peculiar squad, considering it sports the second-worst home record and a league-leading road record. The road vs. home splits are truly mind-boggling, as the club averages a league-low 1.71 goals per game at home but 3.41 goals per game on the road, which ranks fourth-best in the NHL.

While the offense has struggled to stay consistent, Igor Shesterkin has not, especially when playing on the road. The 29-year-old leads the league in starts and ranks fourth in goals saved above expected. As a team, the Rangers rank second-best in 5v5 goals against per 60, with the special teams ranking among the middle of the pack in both PP% and PK%. You aren’t going to believe this, but the Rangers’ PP% rises from 10% at home to 25.6% on the road, going from 32nd in the NHL to 4th.

Blackhawks vs. Rangers pick, best bet

This one is fairly simple for me. The Rangers are very good when playing on the road, and the Blackhawks are slowly starting to spiral out of control. When it comes to goaltending, I trust Shesterkin over Knight. While Chicago’s offense has sneaky pieces, I still favor the likes of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller on the opposite bench. Taking the Rangers on the Moneyline at -140 is nice and all, but a bit too juiced for me. I’m pivoting to New York -1.5 on the Puck Line (+180), which holds 82% of the handle and 49% of the bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Best Bet: NY Rangers Puck Line -1.5 (+180)