Mikael Granlund, Zach Parise, and the Minnesota Wild will face off against Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau, and the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome in a Western Conference tilt. CBC Sports will broadcast the matchup, and the opening face-off is at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 2.
Minnesota Wild vs. Calgary Flames Odds
Calgary heads into the contest as the noticeable favorite with a -165 moneyline. The line for the Wild is standing at +145, and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-105 over, -115 under).
Calgary is 41-23 straight up (SU) and has earned 11.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked second in the league in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 37-45 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Of its 64 games this season, 35 have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team is 20-10 SU at home.
The Flames have converted on 21.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.5 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 24.5 saves per game with a .913 save percentage, David Rittich (23-13-5) has been the top option in goal for the Flames this year. If head coach Bill Peters decides to give him a breather, however, Calgary may go with Mike Smith (20-13-13 record, .897 save percentage, 2.89 goals against average).
Minnesota has lost 13.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far and is currently 31-33 straight up (SU). A total of 33 of its contests have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just five have pushed. As the away team, the Wild are 17-15 SU.
The Wild have converted on 21.6 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 20th overall and it’s successfully defended 79.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Devan Dubnyk (25.7 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Minnesota. Dubnyk has 26 wins, 27 losses, and five OT losses to his credit, while registering a .912 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average this year.
Minnesota Wild vs. Calgary Flames Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Over Calgary’s last ten outings, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
- Penalties and power plays could have a critical role in this one. The Wild are 11-15 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 19-21 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Flames are 24-9 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 29-18 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Calgary is 0-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Minnesota is 1-2 in shootouts.
- The total has gone under in four of Calgary’s last five outings.
- Minnesota has averaged 6.8 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 6.2 giveaways per game (ranked first in the NHL).
- Calgary is ranked 30th this season with 13.4 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it’s averaged 11.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 11.0 giveaways over its last five.
