Flames vs. Canucks Prediction
| Flames Odds | +180 |
| Canucks Odds | -220 |
| Over / Under | 6.0 -120o / +100u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, April 16 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
In terms of the standings, this game ultimately doesn't mean much for either team, which creates interesting wrinkles to consider when attempting to predict what will happen. Let's discuss that in greater detail while previewing the upcoming contest and offering a Flames vs. Canucks prediction.
Calgary Flames
The Flames' season has long been over, so on the surface you might think motivation would be an issue. But if anything, Calgary might be more motivated to win this contest than Vancouver. While the Canucks could be forgiven for looking ahead to the playoffs, the Flames players are trying to head into the summer on a positive note while also competing for pride and future jobs.
Andrei Kuzmenko is one of the best examples of a player who is using these final games to make a statement, and Tuesday night he'll get to do so against his former team. After scoring 39 goals and 74 points in 81 contests with the Canucks last season, Kuzmenko struggled in the 2023-24 campaign, which led to him falling out of favor and eventually being sent to Calgary as part of the package to bring Elias Lindholm to Vancouver. After it took some time for Kuzmenko to adjust to the change in scenery, the Flames have moved him into a top-line role and he's flourished with an outstanding nine goals and 16 points across nine contests. Don't be surprised if he extends that hot streak tonight.
Jonathan Huberdeau has also shown some life recently. With 12 goals and 52 points in 79 contests, the first season of his eight-year, $84 million contract has been a huge disappointment. But he seems to be doing his best to partially salvage the rough campaign by providing two goals and eight points over his past nine outings.
As a group, the Flames have been middling offensively with 3.09 goals per game (tied for 17th overall), but those forwards who have caught fire late have elevated the team to 3.38 goals per contest over their past eight outings. However, even if the attack continues to click, Calgary might lose anyway. Jacob Markström has floundered with a 3-7-0 record, 3.45 GAA and .873 save percentage across his past 10 games, and Dustin Wolf hasn't been a great alternative, posting a 3.63 GAA and an .872 save percentage over his last five appearances.
Vancouver Canucks
Using a struggling netminding against the Canucks, who rank sixth offensively with 3.41 goals per game, sounds like a recipe for disaster for Vancouver's opponent. To make matters worse for Calgary, Thatcher Demko has recovered from his knee injury and will start against the Flames. The 28-year-old has a 34-13-2 record, 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage across 49 outings in 2023-24, so his return might put a damper on the Flames' hot forwards.
Still, it remains to be seen if the Flames will be facing Vancouver at its best. The Canucks are poised to finish the season atop the Pacific Division, so this contest doesn't mean much to Vancouver. Instead, the squad might focus on resting some of its core players ahead of the postseason. Even if Vancouver does dress its normal cast, there might be some load management in terms of playing time. For example, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller logged 17:33 and 17:36, respectively, during Vancouver's 3-1 win over Edmonton on Saturday, which falls below their respective season averages of 19:42 and 19:31. On defense, Quinn Hughes similarly took a step back, featuring in 21:55 of ice time, compared to his average of 24:43. If anything, the Canucks' stars might see even lighter workloads Tuesday because this clash against Calgary matters less to Vancouver in the standings than the game against Edmonton.
One exception might be Lindholm. The 29-year-old hasn't had a great campaign offensively with 14 goals and 42 points in 73 outings, so he still has something to prove. As is the case with Kuzmenko, this is also a contest against his former squad, which might give him a bit of extra drive his teammates potentially lack.
Flames vs. Canucks
Betting Pick & Prediction
The question is how much value you put into the idea that the Canucks might get upset by the Flames because they're not taking this game seriously. If we're strictly talking about which is the better team on paper, then that's easily Vancouver, especially after factoring in the return of Demko. Unsurprisingly, oddsmakers are also treating Vancouver as heavy favorites, to the point where you'd need to take them on the puck line where the spread is 1.5 goals in Calgary's favor to get a decent return.
If this was in the middle of the campaign, I'd recommend taking Vancouver on the puck line, and I wouldn't question anyone who does so for this contest. However, there's enough uncertainty that I'd rather take Kuzmenko as an anytime goal scorer. Although it's an even riskier bet than taking the Canucks on the puck line, the risk is more than balanced out by the significantly higher potential payout. Given how hot the 28-year-old forward is, coupled with the added motivation of facing his old squad, I think there's a solid chance he'll find the back of the net even with Demko between the pipes.
Pick: Andrei Kuzmenko Anytime Goal Scorer (+320 via FanDuel | Play to +300)
