After a dramatic come-from-behind win in Dallas against the Stars, the Calgary Flames are stopping in Arizona on Wednesday for a tilt against the Coyotes. It’s their second in back-to-backs and their final game before the All-Star break. Here’s what I’ll be looking at, complete with betting odds.
Let’s say you’re on an NHL team, the Calgary Flames for instance. Cool? OK, now say you have one game left before a week off for the All-Star break. All you want is to grab a quick 2 points before you hit the beach or the golf course or the Vegas strip or WallyWorld or whatever your COVID-adjusted vacation is.
Luckily, you’re in Arizona. A win shouldn’t be a big deal.
Cellar Dwellers
Let’s not lie. The Arizona Coyotes are not great. Where it is true that they took down the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in a shootout victory on Tuesday, this is the exception not the rule. They have lost five of their last six. And they reside above only the Montreal Canadiens at the bottom of the league standings.
That being the case, the Calgary Flames do not always show up versus teams that are lower in the standings. Most notably, the Ottawa Senators, who are only two spots ahead of the Arizona in league standings, walked into Calgary and left with a 4-1 win.
So, let’s focus boys.
Who’s In Net
As of this writing, it isn’t clear who starts in net on Wednesday. As I mentioned in my thoughts on the Dallas game, Darryl Sutter’s decision to pull Jacob Markstrom from Tuesday’s game in Dallas was not based on his play. A message was being sent.
So, in a situation where the team is playing a lesser opponent in games on consecutive nights, who starts? Conventional wisdom suggests backup Dan Vladar goes on Wednesday. Vladar only faced 5 shots in his third period replacement of Markstrom in Dallas. So neither guy is fatigued.
However, Darryl Sutter has not expressed a great deal of confidence in Vladar in recent media appearances. So it’s anyone’s guess who he relies on for the two points.
Betting Odds
According to WynnBET, the Calgary Flames are 1.5-point favourites on the road. The Flames have 1.33 moneyline odds, while the Coyotes are the home ‘dogs at a whopping 3.40. The total for the game is set at an over/under of 5.5 with the over being favoured at 1.80.