The Scotiabank Saddledome is the site for a cross-continent showdown as the Calgary Flames square off against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s the final time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. The opening face-off is at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 1, and fans at home can view it live on Sportsnet 360.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Calgary Flames Odds
Tampa Bay (-115) is currently favored over Calgary (-105), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Tampa Bay is 34-16 straight up (SU) and has earned 9.9 units for moneyline bettors this season. 29 of its outings have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and none have pushed. This 2017-18 Lightning team is 17-10 SU on the road.
Tampa Bay has converted on 23.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.0 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Bolts have been penalized 4.1 times per game overall this season, 4.2 per game over its past five outings total, and 4.2 per game over its last five games as the visiting team. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
With a .931 save percentage and 28.9 saves per game, Andrei Vasilevskiy (29-12-2) has been the primary option in goal for Tampa Bay this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, the team may go with Louis Domingue (2-8), who has a .880 save percentage and 3.81 goals against average this year.
Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Lightning. Kucherov (64 points) is up to 27 goals and 37 assists, and has recorded two or more points 21 times. Stamkos has 18 goals and 40 assists to his credit, and has registered at least one point in 34 games.
Calgary is 25-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 27 of its outings have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just one has pushed. This season, the team is 12-15 SU as the home team.
The Flames have converted on just 17.1 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 18th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Calgary players have been called for penalties 4.2 times per game in total this season, and 5.4 per game over their last ten games. The team has had to kill penalties a whopping 16.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Mike Smith (29.2 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for the Flames. Smith has 21 wins, 21 losses, and six overtime losses to his name and has recorded a 2.41 goals against average and a .925 save percentage this season.
The Flames offense will be led by Johnny Gaudreau (15 goals, 42 assists).
Tampa Bay Lightning at Calgary Flames Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Flames, 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).
- The Flames are 9-11 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Lightning are 10-3 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- Two of Calgary’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 2-5 overall in shootouts this season.
- The under has hit in three of Calgary’s last five outings.
- Calgary has averaged 2.8 goals per game overall this season, but is averaging 1.6 goals per contest over its five-game losing streak.
- Calgary has averaged 14.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 10.1 giveaways per game (ranked 21st overall).
- Tampa Bay is ranked ninth this season with 8.3 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as it’s averaged 7.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 5.8 giveaways over its last five.
