New York Rangers vs. Calgary Flames Prediction, NHL Odds
The New York Rangers look to continue their steady climb up the Metropolitan Division standings with a fourth straight when they visit the Calgary Flames in Thursday’s NHL betting action. The Rangers have opened their current four-game Western swing with back-to-back wins, capped by Tuesday’s narrow 4-3 victory in Vancouver and now sport a sparkling 7-1-0 record away from Madison Square Garden. The Flames are coming off a 2-1 victory over the visiting New York Islanders on Tuesday night to extend their current home win streak to three games and maintain a share of second place in the Pacific Division standings.
Despite Calgary’s recent home success, the Rangers lead the way as -155 favourites on the Thursday NHL odds. The Flames trail as +130 underdogs and the total is listed at 6.0.
Rangers vs. Flames NHL Betting Odds
The Rangers are looking to extend their recent success against the Flames after sweeping last year’s season series with a pair of wins including a 3-1 victory at Scotiabank Saddledome. Low scoring has emerged as a recurring theme, with these clubs scoring just 11 total goals over their past three matchups, with the Flames mustering just one total goal in their two clashes with the Blueshirts last season. However, the Flames have used low scoring to their advantage lately, allowing just two total goals during their current 3-0-0 run on home ice and limiting opponents to one or fewer goals in four of their past five home games. That has sparked a lengthy 10-1 run for the UNDER in the club’s past 11 games. The Rangers defence has been equally impressive, allowing just three total goals during their three-game road surge, surrendering just 1.86 goals per game and recording a pair of shutouts during their host start on the road.
New York Rangers
The Rangers have received contributions from up and down the lineup during their current tear, with eight different players finding the back of the net during the past three games. Mika Zibanejad is the lone Ranger shooter to pot multiple goals over that stretch but has produced at a sporadic rate this season, tallying seven points in his past seven games but has yet to find his way onto the scoresheet in consecutive games. The team’s secondary scoring has come at a good time for Artemi Panarin, who failed to record a point for the first time in eight games on Tuesday and has not added to his team-leading total of 10 goals in four games.
Calgary Flames
The Flames have struggled to post consistent results since opening the season on a 5-0-1 pace. The club has gone 5-6-2 since but has shown signs of a turnaround during their current win streak. Overall, the Flames have picked up at least a point in seven of nine outings but would very much benefit from more offensive production. The club has scored just 10 total goals over their past five games, dumping them to 24th place in the NHL in total goals. With goals coming at a premium, rearguard Rasmus Andersson finds himself leading the team with 12 points while Jonathan Huberdeau maintains a team-high of just six goals despite going pointless over the past three games. Indeed, things might look far worse for the Flames were it not for the recent steady play of netminder Dustin Wolf, who has compiled a sparkling .977 save percentage over his past three games and avoided taking a regulation loss in five starts so far this month
