The Calgary Flames visit the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm central time. The Flames are coming off of a win against the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 7-4. Elias Lindholm and Mark Giordano scored in the first period. In the second period, Johnny Gaudreau found the back of the net. The scoring really picked up in the third period, when Lindholm scored again, along with Sean Monahan, Austin Czarnik, and Michael Frolik.
The Predators won their last game as well, but by a much narrower margin. They beat the New York Islanders 4-3. Viktor Arvidsson scored for them in the first period, along with Matthias Ekholm. Arvidsson scored again in the second, along with Craig Smith. The Predators are -165 in this one.
Bet on the National Hockey League at our favorite sportsbook — 5Dimes
Flames @ Predators Head to Head
Although the sample size has been small, the Calgary Flames are 7th in the league in goals scored, with 9. They have 9 goals as well, making them 20th in the league. When on the power play, they have found the back of the net 23% of the time, putting them in the upper half of the league.
What needs improvement is the penalty kill, as they have allowed goals on 71% of opposing teams’ power plays. These stats point to a good offense and an effective power play unit. What they have been shakier on is defense, with all the goals they have allowed, especially when shorthanded. They will need to build on their impressive offense and greatly improve their defense in order to compete this season.
The Predators’ stat sheet looks like a mirror of the Calgary one. When it comes to scoring goals, they leave much to be desired, having scored only 7 goals while still winning both games they have played in. This points to a great defense, which has been on full display, allowing only 5 goals through those two games. They have not scored on the power play, which is definitely something that will need to change against the seemingly soft defense of the Flames. They kill 8% of penalties, an impressive number that they will need to build upon against the high-powered Calgary offense.
Flames @ Predators News
Goaltender Pekka Rinne has been having to share the ice with young goalie Juuse Saros. This is also the final year of Rinne’s contract. Giving another goalie playing time and taking it away from your older franchise goalie may point to the franchise moving on from Rinne, and that would beg the question: where would Rinne go?
Fans could expect to see a huge effort on Rinne’s part to establish himself as still the man in Nashville or to audition for another team that may want to swoop in and sign him next summer. Either way, it is extremely likely that he still has at least a couple elite years left in him, but he will need to prove that this year after an outstanding 2017-18 campaign.
Predators Top Flames
A great offense against a great defense- this is shaping up to be a great matchup. However, with the impressive goaltending and stellar defense in Nashville, signs seem to point to them walking away with this victory and moving one point ahead of Chicago in the central division standings.
- Bet on the Nashville Predators -165
- Earn up to $520 in bonuses at 5Dimes.
- Bet on the Calgary Flames +155
- Get your 50% welcome bonus for betting at Bovada
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.