In their final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Calgary Flames and the New Jersey Devils take the ice at the Prudential Center in a cross-continent matchup. The opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 8, and you can see the game live on Sportsnet West.
Calgary Flames vs. New Jersey Devils Odds
New Jersey enters the contest as the narrow favorite with a -115 moneyline. The line for Calgary sits at -105 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -115 money on the over and -105 for the under.
Netting moneyline bettors 4.0 units, the Devils are 27-25 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That win percentage, ranked third in the Metropolitan Division so far this season, is a surprising turnaround from how the team performed during last year’s regular season (28-54). Of the team’s 52 games this season, 27 have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team’s 15-11 SU at home.
New Jersey has converted on 20.5 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties.
As a team, New Jersey has been called for penalties 4.0 times per game overall this season, 3.8 per game over its last five contests total, and 3.8 per game over its last five home outings. The team’s had to defend opposition power plays for 11.6 minutes per game over its last five home outings.
With a .913 save percentage and 28.9 saves per game, Cory Schneider (18 wins, 17 losses, and six OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Devils this year. If they choose to rest him, however, New Jersey might go with Keith Kinkaid (10-8-8 record, .893 save percentage, 3.13 goals against average).
The Devils will continue relying on offensive production from Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier. Hall (52 points) has put up 19 goals and 33 assists and has recorded two or more points on 15 different occasions this year. Hischier has nine goals and 22 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 23 games.
Calgary is 27-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 53 regular season contests, 28 of its games have gone under the total, while 24 have gone over and just one has pushed. As a road team, Calgary is 14-10 SU so far.
Calgary has converted on just 16.9 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places it in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 17th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.0 percent of all penalties.
Calgary’s skaters have been penalized 4.2 times per game this season, and 5.8 per game over their last five road outings. The team has had to kill penalties a whopping 13.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Mike Smith (.922 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Calgary. Smith is averaging 29.0 saves per game and owns a 23-22-6 record.
Johnny Gaudreau (16 goals, 45 assists) has been one of the most vital offensive playmakers for the visiting Flames.
Calgary Flames at New Jersey Devils Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Devils, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Two of Calgary’s last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 2-5 overall in shootouts this season.
- The total has gone under in three of New Jersey’s last five games.
