Flames vs. Canadiens NHL Prediction
The under has been profitable in previous meetings between the Flames and Canadiens, but will it cash tonight in Montreal when these two teams meet at 6:00 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
063 Calgary Flames (+115) at 064 Montreal Canadiens (-135); o/u 5.5
6:00 p.m. ET, Friday, April 16, 2021
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
Calgary Flames DFS Spin
It’s entirely possible that Jacob Markstrom will play in all of the Flames’ remaining games this season. The Flames are chasing a playoff spot and they traded away backup goaltender David Rittich, so it’s easy to see why head coach Darryl Sutter is thinking about leaning so heavily on Markstrom. “You look at our schedule, and it’s not that hard,” Sutter said. “Even if he did play every game, he’d still be the same as what he played last year. If you look at the minutes-played and all that, that’s not a big deal.” With Rittich gone, the backup goaltender is Louis Domingue, who has a 4.04 GAA and .859 save percentage in three AHL games this season and on the taxi squad is Artem Zagidulin, who hasn’t started in an NHL game yet, so both are far from ideal options to put into key games.
Montreal Canadiens DFS Spin
Jake Allen allowed three goals on 33 shots during Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. Allen continues to play well in Carey Price’s absence, but the Canadiens rarely give him enough goal support. The Habs fell behind in the first period and they were never able to recover in this one. Allen made several big saves to keep his team in the game, but the Flames still managed to come away with the victory. The 30-year-old has dropped four of his last five outings. He has a 6-7-4 record with a 2.53 goals-against-average and a .912 save percentage this season.
Flames vs. Canadiens NHL Prediction
The under is 9-1-2 in the last 12 meetings between these two teams overall and is 5-0-1 in the last six meetings in Montreal. The under is also 6-0 in the Flames’ last six road games, is 8-2-2 in their last 12 games overall and is 4-0 in their last four games as a road underdog. On the other side, the under is 3-1-1 in the Habs’ last five home games and is 5-2 in their last seven games as a favorite.
NHL PREDICTION: FLAMES/CANADIENS UNDER 5.5