Calgary Flames vs. Nashville Predators: NHL Odds, Prediction
The Calgary Flames will again be without No. 1 goaltender Mike Smith when they visit defending Western Conference champion Nashville on Thursday night to conclude a six-game road trip.
Flames vs Predators Betting Analysis
In Nashville on Oct. 24, Calgary was a 3-2 shootout upset winner. Matthew Tkachuk cut the Predators’ lead to 2-1 at 10:35 of the third, and Micheal Ferland tied it at 12:55. Sean Monahan and Tkachuk scored in the shootout to give the Flames the win. Mike Smith had 28 saves. Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi scored power-play goals in the first for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne had 29 saves.
On Dec. 16 at the Saddledome, Nashville was a 2-0 winner behind Rinne’s 32 saves. Ryan Johansen and Kevin Fiala scored for the Predators, who were outshot 32-28. Calgary was 0-for-5 on the power play. Smith had 26 saves.
Rinne has faced Calgary 22 times in his stellar career and is 7-6-5 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .906 save percentage with two shutouts. Were Calgary to slip to a wild-card spot, it’s possible the Flames could face the Predators in the first round of the playoffs should the Preds win the Central Division.
The road team has won four of the past five in this series. The total has gone under in six of the previous eight overall.
Calgary Flames
Calgary (29-20-8) might be running out of gas on its six-game road trip as the Flames played their worst of the first five Tuesday night in losing 5-2 at Boston, although the Bruins are a very good team. The game was tied 2-2 entering the third, with Patrice Bergeron scoring the eventual winner at 1:15 of the period on the power play. He scored again at 9:19 to all but put it away. With Smith sidelined at least two games with a groin injury suffered Sunday, David Rittich was in net vs. Boston and stopped 35 shots. Both Flames goals were in the first period, courtesy of Sam Bennett (eighth of season) and Johnny Gaudreau (19th). Rittich should be back in there Thursday with Jon Gillies called up from the AHL to serve as his backup as long as Smith is out.
Nashville Predators
The Predators (34-12-9) are battling Winnipeg for the Central Division lead, with Nashville currently holding it. The team’s past five games have all gone to at least overtime, with the Preds winning three of them. They were 4-3 home OT winners against St. Louis on Tuesday in the return from a four-game road trip. You rarely see a penalty shot in overtime, but Forsberg scored on his at 1:19 of OT to beat the Blues. Nashville trailed 3-0 entering the third period. Austin Watson tied it with his second goal of the period at 15:48. It was his second two-goal game of the season. Rinne made 28 saves and hasn’t lost in regulation since January 2.
