Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks Prediction, NHL Odds
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Nik Kowalski
The Flames enter the day 10 points behind the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, and time’s ticking with Calgary having 14 games remaining in their season. The Canucks have won two straight heading into Saturday’s tilt. At 44-18-8 the Canucks own the top spot in the west and are four points away from their first 100-point season since 2014–15.
Calgary comes into Saturday not having taken the ice seen Monday, but they’re starting off a back-to-back stretch that sees them head back home to play Buffalo Sunday. Vancouver’s on game six of a season-long nine-game home stand, going 3-1-1 so far.
Puck drop at Rogers Arena goes at 10 p.m. EDT with the Canucks a -185 moneyline favourite at home and the over-under at 6.5 on the NHL odds.
Flames vs. Canucks NHL Betting Odds
The Flames and Canucks have been playing in completely different manners this past month. Calgary’s had troubles keeping the puck out of their own net, or have filled the net themselves and it’s led to the over hitting in nine of their last 11 outings. Then even without starting goalie Thatcher Demko out for the past two weeks, Vancouver’s locked it down in their own end and the under’s hit in seven of their last eight.
Head-to-head, the more fun result has prevailed with seven of the last nine Flames–Canucks clashes going over the total. Saturday’s the second of four regular season meetings between these clubs. Each team’s won a game against one another this season with the over hitting in both contests.
Calgary Flames
The four days off for Calgary helped starting goalie Jacob Markstrom rest up from a lower-body injury. Markstrom’s been cleared to play Saturday after last playing March 9 at Florida. He’s been one of the main reasons Calgary even has a sliver of hope to make the post-season, going 22-17-2 with a .910 save percentage. Neither of the Flames other two goalies to play this season have save percentages in the .900s.
Defenceman MacKenzie Weegar scored in Calgary’s last outing on Monday, adding to his career high in goals with 16. A couple of other Flames are eying career milestones in the scoring category, as both Blake Coleman and Yegor Sharangovich are tied atop Calgary’s scorers with 28 goals each. Neither has ever had a 30-goal season in the NHL.
Vancouver Canucks
With starting goalie Thatcher Demko still out with a lower-body injury, the Canucks continue to roll with Casey DeSmith in net and he’s held his own. DeSmith has started all of Vancouver’s four games since the Demko injury and is 2-1-1 with a .902 save percentage. Arturs Silovs has backed up DeSmith in all four games but has yet to make an appearance in the NHL this season.
When Vancouver acquired defenceman Nikita Zadorov from Calgary earlier this season it was more for his physicality/size and ability to defend. So when Zadorov scored twice in the opening period in Thursday’s 4-1 victory over Montreal that was just a bonus. The Canucks depth overall delivered on Thursday, with Conor Garland and Nils Aman also finding the back of the net.
