Colorado Avalanche (0-0) vs. Calgary Flames (0-0)
October 13, 2022 9:30 pm EDT
The Line: Calgary Flames -115 / Colorado Avalanche -105; Over/Under: +6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames meet in NHL action from Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday night.
The Colorado Avalanche will look to build on their 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks to start the year. Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin each had a pair of goals with Lehkonen adding an assist as well. Mikko Rantanen added a team-high 4 assists while Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each had a pair of assists. Alexandar Georgiev got the win after stopping 15 of 17 shots faced in the winning effort.
The Calgary Flames will be out to build on their solid 2021-22 season, finishing the year at 50-21-11, winning their first Pacific division title since 2018-19. The Flames took out the Stars in seven games in the first round before falling to the rival Oilers in five games in the second round. This year’s Flames bunch will have a different look after losing their two 100+-point scorers from last season in Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, with Gaudreau heading to Columbus in free agency while Tkachuk was shipped fo Florida. The good news for Calgary is that they got Jonathan Huberdeau in return, who had 115 points for the Panthers last season while Elias Lindholm’s also back after posting 82 points with a team-high 42 goals last season. Jacob Markstrom’s expected to once again be the top goaltender in Calgary, going 37-15-9 last year with a 2.22 GAA and a .922 save percentage last year.
Colorado is 13-3 in their last 16 games played on no rest and 60-21 in their last 81 games overall while the under is 9-1 in their last 10 Thursday games. Calgary is 0-4 in their last 4 games overall and 7-3 in their last 10 home games while the under is 5-2-1 in their last 8 Thursday games.
I get the case to be made for either side in this one as Calgary’s rested and Colorado is the defending cup champions. However, I think it’s going to take time for this new look Calgary team to gel together, especially when the defending champs who have had a game to shake off the rust already are your first opponents. The Avs haven’t let the whole back-to-back thing rattle them in the past and I doubt they’re going to start now. It won’t be often that you get the avs and these prices, so give me Colorado.
