Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Calgary Flames Prediction, NHL Odds
-
Edgar Chaput
Columbus vanquished the Sharks at home on Saturday, thus giving their fans something to cheer for in a lost season. Calgary is very much in the thick of a playoff race and needs all the wins it can collect, and the tone set against Tampa Bay impressed.
The host Flames are set as -1.5 favourites on the NHL odds (-146 on the puck line). The over-under has been calculated to be 6.5.
Blue Jackets vs. Flames NHL Betting Odds
When looking back at past meetings between these intra-conference foes, the Canadian club holds a large advantage. In fact, the 3-1 victory for Columbus last February was its first in eight tries. The Ohio-based franchise has a hard time putting pucks in the net against the Flames. That win saw them score thrice, the first time in six contests that they had hit the mark that often.
It has been a sad season for Brad Larsen’s side. They’ve collected the fewest points of all NHL teams (as of Jan. 23), with only 30 to speak of. Their goal differential is the second worst at -61. Compounding issues, especially for tonight’s game, is their risible away record of 3-15-1. Their tally against the puck line, 21-25, is one of the few relatively positive things going their way.
Betters should proceed with caution when pondering the Flames. Their 22-16-9 win-loss numbers make them a slightly tricky bet on the money line. Furthermore, it hasn’t been a good year at all ATS. 18-29 are not figures that will inspire confidence. It looks as though they have steadied the ship to the extent that they’re playing .500 hockey ATS (4-4 in their previous eight). Even the over-under figures don’t show a pattern lately, as each has cashed in three times in the past six games.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Saturday’s contest between the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets wasn’t one to stir the passions of hockey fans. San Jose wasn’t much better than Columbus, sitting on only 37 points.
Meetings between two poor clubs can make for fun encounters, which this one mostly was. The Sharks smelled blood early, taking a 2-0 lead, the first goal courtesy of a lovely breakaway for Timo Meier (27th). Columbus wasn’t ready to go down without a fight, and the first Jenga piece to fall for San Jose was due to a penalty. The Jackets cashed in with Johnny Gaudreau’s 13th of the season and suddenly it was a whole new game. The sides continued to go back and forth, but the third period sealed it thanks to a turnover that allowed Gustav Nyquist to snipe his 10th on a partial breakaway. Columbus ultimately prevailed 5-3.
Calgary Flames
Darryl Sutter’s ensemble faced a stern test at home on Saturday when the Tampa Bay Lightning entered the Saddledome. The Lightning had picked themselves up from a pedestrian first couple of months of the season and were coming in hot.
Nazem Kadri,s tipped power play goal in the first gave the hosts early life, only for Tampa to storm back for a 2-1 lead in the second. But that’s when the puck started to bounce Calgary’s way. Tyler Toffoli tied the score off a wrap-around that didn’t go in cleanly but rather bounced off a Lightning defenceman’s skate. Rasmus Andersson provided his side with a 3-2 advantage thanks to a wrist shot from distance that took a bizarre bounce off another Tampa defender, thus giving Andrei Vasilevskiy no chance. The Flames would pad and protect the lead in the third, winning 6-3.
