The Calgary Flames and the Colorado Avalanche meet in NHL action from the Ball Arena on Monday night. Two teams that could desperately use a win, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in and find out with a Flames vs. Avalanche Prediction.
Calgary Flames Team Preview
The Calgary Flames come into this one looking to rebound form a 4-2 loss to New Jersey in their last matchup. Nazem Kadri leads the Flames with 18 points including 6 goals and a team-high 12 assists while Elias Lindholm has 17 points and Blake Coleman has 16 points with both Lindholm and Coleman each having a team-high 7 goals. Mackenzie Weegar has 15 points with 6 goals and 9 assists while Rasmus Andersson and Jonathan Huberdeau each have 15 points with 4 goals and 11 assists this season. Jacob Markstrom has gone 6-8-2 with a 2.94 GAA and a .896 save percentage while Dan Vladar is 4-3-1 with a 3.45 GAA and an .877 save percentage this season. Dustin Wolf has also gone 1-2 with a 3.04 GAA and a .900 save percentage as well this season.
Calgary Flames Team Facts
- The Flames have won each of their last four games as underdogs following a loss.
- The Flames have covered the puck line in each of their last four games as underdogs following a loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in nine of the Flames’ last 10 games against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Flames have lost the first period in eight of their last nine night games following a home loss.
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Colorado Avalanche Team Preview
The Colorado Avalanche come into this game looking to bounce back from a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia which ended up being their 5th loss in their last 6 games. Nathan MacKinnon has 37 points with 11 goals and a team-high 26 assists while Cale Makar has 34 points with a team-high 27 assists. Mikko Rantanen has 31 points with a team-high 12 goals and 19 assists and Valeri Nichushkin has 21 points split between 10 goals and 11 assists this season. Alexandar Georgiev has started 18 games for Colorado, going 14-7-1 with a 2.86 GAA and an .902 save percentage this season while Ivan Prosvetov is 2-2-1 with a 2.92 GAA and a .906 save percentage this season. The Avs are 5th in the Western Conference with 34 points, the same as the Winnipeg Jets and one more than the Dallas Stars.
Colorado Avalanche Team Facts
- The Avalanche have lost four of their last five games as favorites.
- The Avalanche have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games.
- The Avalanche have won the second period in each of their last nine Monday games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the Avalanche’s last eight games following a home loss.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Colorado Avalanche ranks 7th in the league for goals per game this season (3.44).
- The Colorado Avalanche ranks 7th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (85.26%).
- The Calgary Flames ranks 28th in the league in power play percentage this season (11.90%).
- The Calgary Flames ranks T29th in the league for Period 1 goals allowed per game this season (1.26).
Flames vs. Avalanche Prediction
I’m backing the under here. It sounds kind of nuts considering the talent that’s possessed in both of these lineups, but the reality is that these are two teams that have some scoring issues right now, and are scoring issues that aren’t necessarily going away overnight. The goaltending on both sides has been decent as well as of late, so I’ll side with the under in this matchup.
