Flames vs. Blues Prediction
Can the Calgary Flames possibly pull off a big upset on the road when they take on the St. Louis Blues tonight at 8PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Blues are the heavy favorite tonight, as they are getting odds of -200 to win, while the Flames are listed with a money line of +170 to win. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 5.5 goals. Tonight’s games takes place from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Calgary is coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Predators last night in Nashville. The Flames are now 5-4 on the season, but they are 4-1 on the road. Calgary is scoring only 2.44 goals per game while allowing 2.78 per contest. The Flames are without veteran Jaromir Jagr until November with a lower body injury. Leading the team right now is Johnny Gaudreau, who has 12 points on two goals and 10 assists. Sean Monahan is leading the team with five goals. Mike Smith has posted a 2.49 GAA and a .928 save percentage through his time in net.
St. Louis is coming off a 3-2 OT loss at Vegas back on Saturday. The Blues are 6-2-1 on the season and 2-0 at home. St. Louis is averaging just 3.11 goals per game right now while giving up 2.67 per contest. Jaden Schwartz has six goals and seven assists to lead the team right now while Alex Pietrangelo is adding 11 points on three goals and eight assists. Jake Allen has a 2.80 GAA and .912 save percentage through seven games in net this year.
The Flames have had some success in this series, winning three of the last four meetings with the Blues. Calgary has looked good on the road, winning their last four and they also have won eight of their last 10 meetings with Central Division opponents. I just don’t like the Blues as a +200 favorite against a team that has been solid on the road. While the Blues may be fresher, I think the extended time off may cause them to start slow out the gate. The public is backing the Blues at home, but I am willing to take my chances on the upset.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: CALGARY FLAMES +170