Sunday's Best NHL Bets
Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames (-119, 5.5)
Calgary Flames head coach Brent Sutter believes in nipping things in the bud before they blossom into full-fledged problems.
Sutter blasted his team Friday, following their poor showing in a 4-0 season-opening loss to the rival Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.
"Use your f-ing heads," Sutter shouted to his players at practice on Friday.
The Flames allowed three third-period goals to the Oilers despite outshooting their opponents 37-33 for the game. Calgary spent 32 minutes in the penalty box and allowed Edmonton’s special teams to score two power-play goals and a shorthanded marker.
Sutter explained to reporters the laundry list of issues his team had in the first game of the season, pointing the finger at his blueline, which constantly left goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff out to dry.
"There were times you saw two defensemen and you couldn't see any forwards," Sutter said of Thursday’s game. "They were two zones ahead of where our defense was.
"There were times you saw a defenseman leading the rush. All of a sudden, the puck is turned over, and bang there's a 2-on-1. That isn't what we're about."
Hockey fans can expect a better effort from Calgary when it hosts the Los Angeles Kings Sunday night. The Flames and Kings have played under the total in five of their last six meetings, including a trio of 2-1 games which stayed below the 5.5-goal total in December of last year.
Pick: Under
Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers (-149, 5.5)
While the rest of the NHL kicked off its 2010-11 campaign, the Florida Panthers sat and waited.
Florida will finally take the ice against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday and is hoping to avoid the slow starts that have plagued the franchise in recent seasons.
The Panthers dropped eight of the first 10 games last year, started 8-11-3 in 2008-09 and, since the 2005-06 season, have a record of 46-64-17 in the opening two months of the schedule.
“We were focused on getting off to good starts before, and it hasn't worked out,” goaltender Tomas Vokoun told the Miami Herald. “We have to get a better start because we're not the kind of team that can chase teams down by getting eight-game winning streaks going. Everyone realizes that. We have to be consistent throughout the year.”
The Panthers face an Edmonton squad that opened its season with a bang. The Oilers thumped Calgary 4-0 on Thursday and own a 5-1 record in their last six head-to-head contests with Florida.
Pick: Edmonton
Flames play home opener against Kings
By: Joe Freda
The Calgary Flames ignited their season with Thursday’s 4-0 road loss as minus 104 choices against the Edmonton Oilers. Brent Sutter’s club looks for its first goal in Sunday night’s home-opener against the Los Angeles Kings, who are 0-9 in their last nine trips to Pengrowth Saddledome.
Flames centerman Brendan Morrison won a team-high eight faceoffs against Edmonton. The newly-acquired veteran logged 30 assists for the Washington Capitals last season.
Calgary’s Tim Jackman also made his team debut, recording one of his squad’s four fighting penalties. The right winger left the ice after a skirmish with Edmonton’s Theo Peckham.
Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 29-of-33 shots. The Finland native allowed two power play goals during six penalty-killing stints, as well as a shorthanded strike by the Oilers’ Jordan Eberle.
The lopsided affair’s four goals ducked below the NHL betting ‘total’ of 5 ½. Calgary notched 37 shots on goal, with eight of them during its four power play chances.
The Flames were 20-21 in their 41 home dates last season, with the ‘under’ cashing at 29-12.
Los Angeles went 46-36 in its regular season last year. Terry Murray’s crew was ousted in the postseason’s first round, going 2-4 in its best-of-seven series with the Vancouver Canucks.
Kings centerman Anze Kopitar led his squad last season in scoring with 36 goals. The Yugoslavia native is rejoined by left winger Ryan Smith, who notched 32 assists.
Los Angeles’ Dustin Brown completes the team’s top line. The right winger played in all 88 games last season, logging a five-year low of 47 penalty minutes.
Jonathan Quick, the Kings’ regular netminder, has gone 1-3 in his four games against Calgary. The Connecticut native has logged a save percentage of .912 in that stretch, with three of the duels decided by one goal.
Los Angeles may opt to start its backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier, according to the club’s website. The 22-year-old went 3-0 in his three starts last season, stopping 90-of-94 shots in that span.
The Kings are playing the second night of a back-to-back spot, with a visit to Vancouver opening up their two-game road trip. Los Angeles went 8-4 in the second game of 12 back-to-back situations last year, with the ‘under’ collecting at 8-3-1.
Sunday’s battle begins at 5 p.m. (PT), with Fox Sports West providing television coverage.
Calgary will remain home for three days before Wednesday’s meeting with the Florida Panthers. Los Angeles will have one day off prior to Tuesday’s home-opener against the Atlanta Thrashers.