Calgary Flames vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Odds, Prediction
First of two meetings, with Tampa Bay visiting the Saddledome on Feb. 1. Flames fans will of course remember that the Lightning won their only Stanley Cup in 2004 in a seven-game series against Calgary. The Flames haven’t been back since, while the Bolts lost the 2015 Cup Finals in six to Chicago. Tampa Bay remains the current Sports Interaction betting favourite to hoist the Cup come June.
Flames vs Lightning Betting Analysis
Last season, these teams split, with each winning on the road – that Tampa team wasn’t near as good as this one. Calgary lost 6-3 in the first matchup. Brian Boyle (now with New Jersey) and Alex Killorn scored twice for the Lightning, and Victor Hedman had three assists. He’s a top Norris Trophy candidate this year. Troy Brouwer, TJ Brodie and Micheal Ferland scored for Calgary.
In Tampa, the Flames won 3-2. Mikael Backlund, Sean Monahan and Dougie Hamilton all scored past Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is the leading candidate for this season’s Vezina Trophy.
Calgary is 5-11 in the past 16 meetings overall. The total has gone under in six of the past eight.
Calgary Flames
Calgary (22-16-4) is one of the hottest teams in the NHL as it brings a four-game winning streak into this one, all one-goal victories. The Flames were underdogs Tuesday in Minnesota but prevailed 3-2 in overtime. Hamilton scored 2:39 into OT, his third game-winner of the season, and was named the game’s No. 1 star. Ferland and Monahan each had a goal and assist, and Johnny Gaudreau added three assists. He has eight assists in his past four games combined but without a goal since Dec. 14 vs. San Jose. Mike Smith stopped 33 shots and has been in net for each game during this winning streak. Smith is 3-3-0 in his career against Tampa Bay with a 3.75 goals-against average and .884 save percentage. The Flames, though, are just 1-5 in their past six vs. the Eastern Conference.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning (31-9-3) have followed only their second two-game losing streak of the season with back-to-back wins. The Bolts beat visiting Carolina on Tuesday 5-4 behind a Tyler Johnson hat trick, his first this season and third career – and first for a Tampa player this season. Brayden Point had three assists and Hedman a goal and an assist. Vasilevskiy made 28 saves and is 27-6-2 with a 2.10 GAA and a .933 save percentage. Kucherov leads the league in points and is tied for first with 27 goals. Hedman now leads in plus/minus at plus-24. In seven career games vs. Calgary, Kucherov has two goals and two assists. Fellow star Steven Stamkos has five goals and two assists in nine games. Tampa defenceman Dan Girardi is questionable for this one after sitting Tuesday. Girardi was struck by a puck in the neck on Sunday. He has 11 points and is plus-17.
