NHL Hockey Betting: Florida Panthers at Calgary Flames
The Florida Panthers are in a three way battle for third place in the Atlantic Division and they’ll try to improve their standing as they head to the Scotiabank Saddledome to take on the Calgary Flames. The Panthers have taken points in 7 of their last 10 games (5-3-2) and this game will begin a four game Western swing with stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Arizona. By the time they’re done they’ll have played six of their last eight games on the road. The Flames are in fourth place in the Pacific Division one point ahead of fifth place Los Angeles and three ahead of sixth place Vancouver. They’re four back of third place Edmonton, five back of second place San Jose and 8 back of division leading Anaheim. They’re 5-4-1 in their last ten games and will enter this matchup having lost two straight.
Brian Elliott is tentatively ‘penciled in’ as the Flames’ starting goalie but both he and Chad Johnson have been getting a lot of playing time lately. Elliott started the last game but Johnson started the four before that. In fact, the two goalies have split starts in the last ten games though head coach Glen Gulutzan has no apparent rhyme or reason in who he goes with on any given night. Florida’s projected starter will be Roberto Luongo who isn’t playing up to his usual lofty standards this season. Luongo has a 13-11-5 record with a 2.40 goals against average and a 0.922 save percentage. Not bad, but not anything exceptional.
Florida struggled away from home last year but they’ve done better this season with a 9-8-5 record on the road. Calgary has been essentially a ‘breakeven’ team at home with a 12-11-0 record. The Flames have lost 9 of 15 non-conference games while the Panthers are 5-5 against the Western Conference. Interestingly, the Panthers are 1-7 -5.9 units when they score 4 or more goals in their previous game. The Flames, meanwhile, are 9-4 +5.8 units when scoring one goal or less in their previous game and they’re off a pair of 2-1 losses to New Jersey and Edmonton. Series has been dead even–the teams have split the last 4 games overall, the last 12 in Calgary and the two most recent games at the Saddledome.
BET CALGARY FLAMES -135 OVER FLORIDA PANTHERS
