Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Calgary Flames Prediction, Preview, and Odds
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The Flames have flamed out as of late and they play host to a Lightning team that won their last game scoring seven goals.
The Lightning have won two of their last three games and after a four-game skid have won four of six games. They are in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference and are 6-9-2 on the road.
The Flames come into this game losers of four in a row. They only have one win in their last seven games and are in the 11th spot in the Western Conference 18 points out of first place. Calgary comes into this non-conference affair as a slight home favorite posted at -115 with a total of 6.5.
Little Different on the Attack
The Lightning had only scored one goal in a loss before their last game where they scored a season high in goals in a 7-4 road win over the Edmonton Oilers. They scored five goals in the third quarter, got the win despite being outshot a whopping 57-24, and Steven Stamkos scored four goals for the first time in his career. In the win Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist and Conor Sheary had two assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy (5-4-0 2.89 GAA) gave up four goals on 57 shots and he had given up three goals in each of his previous two starts. #1 G Jonas Johansson (8-6-5 3.47 GAA) may get the start in this game and he has given up at least three goals in five of his last six starts.
On the season Tampa Bay is averaging 3.32 goals per game while giving up an average of 3.55 goals per game. Kucherov leads the NHL in points (20 goals 30 assists), has the third most goals, and has four goals and four assists over the last five games. Brayden Point ranks second on the team with 33 points (13 goals 20 assists) and has a goal and two assists in the last three games. Stamkos (14 goals 16 assists) ranks third on the club in points and had failed to register a point in two in a row and score a goal in five in a row before four goals in the last game.
Good Defense Not Enough Offense
After giving up 11 goals in two losses the Flamers played pretty good D in their last game but the attack was not there in a 3-2 road shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild. Calgary outshot Minnesota 37-32 were 1-3 on the power play and held the Wild to 0-3 with the extra man. In the loss Yegor Sharangovich and Blake Coleman lit the lamp. Dan Vladar (4-4-2 3.54 GAA) gave up two goals and had tied a season high giving up six goals in his previous start. Top netminder Jacob Markstrom (6-8-2 2.95 GAA) is still on IR and if Vladar does not get the nod Dustin Wolf (1-2-1 3.46 GAA) will.
On the season the Flames are averaging 2.97 goals per game and giving up an average of 3.43 goals per game. Nazem Kadri leads the team with 22 points (8 goals 14 assists) and had a goal and an assist in two straight games before failing to register a point in the last one. Sharangovich (10 goals 8 assists) is the only player for the club that has in double digits in goals and has four of them in the last three games. The Flames have allowed 17 goals in their four-game losing streak. On the season the team is 6-6-1 at home and their last three games have been on the road.
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Full-Game Side Bet
Rating:
The Lightning come in this road game winning two of three games while the Flames have lost four in a row. Tampa Bay set a season high scoring seven goals in their last game and while their attack has been solid this season their defense has not. They were on the road in their last game, where they are under .500 on the season, and will take advantage of a struggling Calgary team. Neither team has played good D this season and in a higher scoring game the Lightning will have the edge and in a close on they will get the win and send the Flames to their fifth loss in a row.
Take the Lightning at +105.
Prediction: Lightning +105
Full-Game Total Pick
Rating:
The Lightning scored a season high seven goals in their last game after only scoring one goal in their previous game. Their attack has been solid but the team has issues on defense and they have given up four goals in each or the last two games. The Flames have lost four in a row where they gave up 17 goals and their D was not bad in their last game but I look for that unit to struggle in this one. Tampa Bay will also not put on a defensive clinic and in what will be a high scoring game the Over is the pick.
Take the Over 6.5 goals.
Prediction: Over 6.5 goals
Jason digs every sport, but the NFL is his favorite. His team is the Washington Football Team and his 2nd favorite is whoever is playing the Cowboys! Jason is a strong handicapper, who graced us with his talents here at Stat Salt. He doesn't don't just write about sports, but he also is an avid sports bettor. Jason has done very well at that and it would be a good idea to follow his picks.
