The Vancouver Canucks will be looking to rebound following an extremely disappointing 1-0 defeat on Thursday night to the Detroit Red Wings. In a game which none of the Canucks’ 43 shots were able to beat netminder Alex Nedeljkovic, the team missed out on two points they desperately needed to pick up.
On Saturday night, Vancouver will play host to the Calgary Flames in another all-Canadian battle between the two divisional foes where both points are even more paramount than the previous contest.
After their loss to Detroit, the Canucks sit with a record of 30-25-7, good enough for fifth place in the Pacific Division. With exactly 20 games left in the regular season, the Canucks are five points out of third in the division, and remain three points adrift the second wild card spot in the conference.
Their opponent on Saturday, on the other hand, are enjoying a great regular season as one the NHL’s best teams. Calgary sits first place in the Pacific Division with a record of 37-16-8, and are the second overall seed in the Western Conference.
Despite being 6-2-2 in their last ten outings, the Flames are coming off a disappointing 1-0 (OT) home defeat to the lowly Buffalo Sabres following a calamitous error from ex-Canuck Jacob Markström.
Calgary is led by veteran head coach Darryl Sutter and boast talents including the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Elias Lindholm.
The Flames are one of the better statistical teams in the entire NHL, a common trait of Sutter-led teams. They sit sixth in the league in goals scored per game with 3.41, and have the second best defensive record courtesy of allowing only 2.41 goals per night. Special teams also grade out well for the Alberta team, as their power play ranks 11th, and the penalty kill is the fourth-most efficient.
This will be the third matchup between these squads this year with the two teams splitting the previous games.
Given Calgary is on a back-to-back, expect reserve goalie Daniel Vladar to get the nod in net, whilst Vancouver will likely return to Thatcher Demko between the pipes.
The odds for Saturday’s game between Vancouver and Calgary are courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook, the official betting partner of FanSided.
Betting Odds
Moneyline:
Canucks +120
Flames -140
Goal Total:
Over 5.5 goals at -105
Under 5.5 goals at -115
Puckline:
Canucks +1.5 at -215
Flames -1.5 at +175
Prediction
The Canucks desperately need to make amends for their unexpected loss the other night against the Red Wings. The quickest way to do this is to win a difficult game against one of the better teams in the league. Calgary will be coming out with vengeance following a bad loss last night against Buffalo, as well as the 7-1 whooping they took last time against the Canucks likely still on their mind.
Despite this, the Flames are on the second half of a back-to-back, which includes travelling to a road game, and are necessarily playing for too much. Calgary is relatively comfortable atop the Pacific, and know that catching Colorado is near-impossible at this point.
Given Vancouver is playing desperate, at home, and are the more rested team, expect them to have the slight edge in this one.
It should be a thrilling nail-biter that goes down to the wire, but the Canucks should emerge with a massive two points.
Pick: Canucks moneyline +120
What are your thoughts on this upcoming game between the Canucks and Flames? What bets will you be placing on the matchup? Let us know your feelings down below in the comment section!