The third game of the regular season for each team, the Calgary Flames and the Nashville Predators clash at Bridgestone Arena in a Western Conference showdown. The opening face-off takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 9, and you can catch it live on Sportsnet Flames.
Calgary Flames at Nashville Predators Odds
Nashville (-175) is currently favored over Calgary (+155), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -125 for the under and +105 for the over.
Nashville is 2-0 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. That win percentage, strongest in the NHL so far in the early season, is fairly close to what the team posted during last year’s regular season (53-29).
The Preds have successfully found the net on 0.0 percent of their power play opportunities so far. That’s a noticeable drop-off from last season, when they were ranked 11th in the league by scoring on 21.2 percent of their extra-man opportunities. Their penalty kill has fallen off significantly year-over-year as they’ve gone from successfully defending 82.2 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked sixth overall last season) to 80.0 percent this year.
The Predators, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.0 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.5, the highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 10.9 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for only 8.0 minutes per matchup this year.
With a .897 save percentage and 26.0 saves per game, Juuse Saros (one win, no losses) has been the best goalkeeper for Nashville this year. If Nashville decides to give him the evening off, however, the team might turn to Pekka Rinne (1-0 record, .944 save percentage, 2.00 goals against average).
On the other hand, Calgary is 1-1 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. The over has hit in both of the team’s games this season.
The Flames have recorded a goal on 23.1 percent of their power play chances this year after converting on 16.0 percent of their extra-man opportunities last season (a percentage that was ranked just 28th in the NHL). The team has gone from killing off 81.9 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked seventh overall last season) to 71.4 percent in 2018-19.
Calgary’s players have been penalized 4.0 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 4.4, which was the second-highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 11.2 penalty minutes per game a year ago (most in the league), the team has had to kill penalties for 9.5 minutes per matchup this season.
Mike Smith (17.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Calgary. Smith has one win and one to his credit, while registering a .810 save percentage and 4.05 goals against average this year.
Calgary Flames at Nashville Predators Betting Predictions
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Notes
Betting Trends
Nashville was 6-7 in games decided by a shootout last year. Calgary went 2-5 in shootouts.
Calgary skaters recorded 20.0 hits per game last season, while the Preds logged 21.0 hits per contest.
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