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Jeremy Perry
Calgary Flames vs. New Jersey Devils: NHL Odds, Prediction
The Flames have won two in a row but both wins came against the Chicago Blackhawks, who are struggling. Prior to that, they had lost six straight, so it’s hard to say whether they’ve turned things around or merely taken advantage of a shaky opponent.
Flames vs Devils Betting Analysis
Calgary owns one of the best road records in the NHL this season at 14-5-5. Meanwhile, the Devils are 15-8-3 at the Prudential Center this season. However, they are 3-4 in their last seven at home.
The Flames have not fared well against teams with a winning record, dropping four of their last five in that scenario. The Devils are 3-2 in their last five against teams above .500.
Calgary Flames
The Flames have continued to rely heavily on their top two forwards for scoring. Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau have combined for 25 points over the last month. Matthew Tkachuk and defenseman Dougie Hamilton are the only two players on the roster with at least 10 points over that span. Calgary will need to get more support from its third and fourth lines if it is going to lock up a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. The Flames have scored three goals or more in each of their last nine wins dating back to December 31st so they will be looking to hit that mark again versus New Jersey. That’s the key mark for them.
Meanwhile, Calgary needs its goaltenders to be at their best the remainder of the way. Mike Smith is having a rough time in February, though. After posting an impressive .943 save percentage in January, he’s at .879 so far in three February starts.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils enter with some momentum as they’ve won three of their last four. They’ve been forced to lean on their backup netminder with Cory Schneider sidelined with an injury. Keith Kincaid has won three of his last four starts, including wins over the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins in which he allowed just two goals in total. With Schneider listed as week-to-week, the Devils will likely continue to lean on Kincaid on Thursday night.
Their offense has helped carry the load with three goals or more in each of its last four games. It’s worth noting that that’s a bit of an aberration, though. They had scored a total of three goals in their four prior games and in the month of January, they averaged just 2.36 per game (26th in the NHL).
