Predators vs Flames Odds
| Predators Odds | +185 |
| Flames Odds | -215 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (-110 / -110) |
| Time | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | SN1 |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Two teams that can still sneak into a wild-card spot in the NHL's Western Conference will go head-t0-head on Monday as the Nashville Predators visit the Calgary Flames.
The Predators have three games remaining and are three points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the last playoff spot in the conference. The Flames are two points higher, but have just two games left.
MoneyPuck pegs Calgary's chances of making the playoffs at 18.9%, while Nashville is at just 2.5%.
Here's the latest on both teams, and your best bet for Monday's Predators vs Flames game.
Nashville Predators
Nashville had an opportunity to put some real pressure on Winnipeg when the two teams went head-to-head Saturday. However, Connor Hellebuyck stopped all 38 shots he faced and the Jets secured a 2-0 win, which puts them more-or-less in control of their own destiny.
Nashville also received another strong performance from Juuse Saros. He has started six of Nashville's past seven games — a pretty typical workload for him — and has a .945 save percentage and a 1.83 goals-against average over those starts. But the Predators have gone just 3-3, sputtering offensively due to a long list of injuries.
The Predators have been hovering just below the playoff bar for most of the season. They're 10-8-2 since the trade deadline and 5-5 in their past 10 games. In those 10 games, they've scored just 20 total goals, which ranks them among squads like Columbus, Chicago and Anaheim. And they've been managing just 25.6 shots per game — third-lowest in the league, ahead of only Columbus and Detroit.
Add that up, and maybe it's not a complete surprise that Nashville's puck possession game at 5-on-5 has been utterly grim. Over the past 10 games, the Predators are controlling a league-worst 35.27% of expected goals.
Calgary Flames
It's getting down to the wire for the Flames, who are back home for the rest of the regular season.
After a 3-1 win in a crucial head-to-head matchup against Winnipeg on Wednesday, Calgary let a valuable point slip away in a 3-2 shootout loss in Vancouver on Saturday. But speaking more broadly, the Flames have responded quite well since reaching desperation time. In their past 10 games, they've been averaging a whopping 36.3 shots and 3.4 goals per game. Their expected goals rate at 5-on-5 has been a healthy 56.86% and special teams have been solid.
And while Jacob Markstrom has performed well below the form we saw last year — when he was the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy — he has been decent of late.
Since March 23, Markstrom has started all eight of Calgary's games. He got pulled once, so he's 4-2-1 with a respectable .907 save percentage and a 2.71 GAA through that stretch.
Predators vs. Flames Pick
When breaking down the stats, it seems incredible that these two teams are separated by just two points in the standings. But that's what goaltending can do. As a team, the Predators have 54.6 goals saved above expected, per Money Puck, while the Flames are at -12.9.
The Preds have stymied the Flames in both meetings this season, winning 4-1 at the Saddledome back on Nov. 3 and 2-1 in Nashville on Jan. 16. But Nashville's offense has been decimated by injuries and the Predators will be playing their fifth game in eight nights.
The oddsmakers have made Calgary a heavy favorite in this matchup, so there isn't much value in taking the Flames on the moneyline. If you really like their chances, consider the puckline at +130.
The bar for the over/under is set at a low 5.5, but history shows us goals have been extremely hard to come by in this matchup. That makes the under your best bet for this game.
Pick: Under 5.5 | Play to -115 |
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