Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames Prediction, NHL Odds
The Flames are coming off a 2-1 loss to the visiting Winnipeg Jets on Monday night, and have tallied just eight total goals while losing six straight in regulation since opening their campaign with a 4-3 shootout win in Edmonton. The Canadiens embark on a four-game Western swing on a winning note after topping the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 on Tuesday, and have now opened their schedule with victories in five of seven contests.
The Canadiens arrive in Cowtown perched as -125 road favourites on the Wednesday NHL odds. The Flames trail as +105 underdogs and the total for this all-Canadian matchup is set at 6.0.
Canadiens vs. Flames NHL Betting Odds
The Canadiens aim to snap a four-game head-to-head losing streak versus the Flames. Overall, the Habs have scored just two total goals in consecutive losses in Calgary, and have averaged just 1.50 goals per game over their past six dates with Calgary, fueling a 5-1 run for the UNDER in totals betting. The Canadiens have enjoyed far more scoring success in the early going, averaging 3.57 goals per game during a 5-2-0 start including victories over Detroit and Chicago in their past two road dates. However, Montreal has failed to record three straight road victories in 21 away contests since mid-January.
The Flames enter Wednesday buried in the basement of the overall NHL standings after blowing yet another early lead in Monday’s loss to the Jets. For the fourth time in five games, the Flames struck first on Monday night, but once again quickly faded in the third, and have now been outscored by a combined 9-0 margin in the final stanza over the past five games.
Montreal Canadiens
After a slow start, Juraj Slafkovsky has started to heat up, potting goals in each of the past two games to end a three-game scoring drought. Slafkovsky’s resurgence is timely considering that Cole Caufield has failed to score in his past two outings after storming out of the gate with five goals in his three previous contests. However, the former first overall pick in the NHL Draft has failed to bulge the twine in five straight dates with the Flames, and has recorded just two total shots on goal in his past two appearances in Calgary.
Team captain Nick Suzuki has remained red hot. Suzuki extended his current points streak to six games with a pair of assists on Monday night, and has piled up 10 points including a goal and three helpers on the power play during his current tear. But like Slafkovsky, Suzuki has struggled versus Calgary, picking up just two total assists in his past six versus the Flames and has scored only three times in 10 career visits to the Saddledome.
Calgary Flames
With just 12 total goals scored through their first seven games, the bottom-feeding Flames have nowhere to go but up. To date, just three Calgary shooters have potted more than a single goal, with Matt Coronato, Rasmus Andersson, and Blake Coleman each tallying two markers but combining for just one total assist. However, the Flames have not been without their chances. The team-leading scoring trio, Nazem Kadri, Connor Zary, and Joel Farabee have combined to record 88 total shots on goal but have scored just seven total goals, and not a single Flames player enters Wednesday’s action sporting a positive plus/minus. One bright spot for the Flames was the steady play of Dustin Wolf in Monday night’s loss. The Calgary netminder turned in his best performance of the season so far, turning aside 25 of 27 shots after getting lit up for 17 goals in his previous four outings.
