The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames meet up tonight at Scotiabank Saddledome in the first of four regular-season meetings between these Pacific Division foes.
The Canucks saw a three-game win streak snapped Saturday night at home.
The Flames will be glad to taste some home cooking after a rough road trip, going 0-1-2 and managing just six total goals in the process — four coming in one contest.
Will Vancouver snuff out the Flames, or will Calgary maintain its mastery over Vancouver? We’ll discuss in our NHL betting picks.
Canucks vs Flames best odds
Canucks vs Flames picks and predictions
The Canucks offense was on fire last week, tallying 16 total goals in a three-game winning streak, with each game going to overtime. It was a stressful time if you’re a Vancouver fan or side bettor, as no lead was safe and every game was close.
Vancouver returned home Saturday night, and Minnesota netminder Filip Gustavsson did his impression of a brick wall, as the Canucks fired 35 shots but none found the back of the net.
The Canucks special teams were not terribly special against the Wild, either, as Vancouver allowed a power-play goal and a shorthanded marker in the 3-0 loss.
The Flames had a power outage on the road, totaling just six goals, and they will be glad to see Vancouver waiting for them at home.
Not only has the home side won five of the past six meetings in this series, but Calgary is an impressive 17-5 in the past 22 home games while going 4-1 in the past five meetings overall.
The Flames won four of the five games on its most recent homestand, and a combination of a Canucks visit and a little home cooking will be the elixir to cure their recent ills.
My best bet: Flames moneyline (-161 at William Hill)
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Canucks vs Flames moneyline analysis
The Canucks are underdogs for the first time since December 1 at home against the Panthers. In the past two games as an underdog, Vancouver did not cover the puck line, but the Canucks are an impressive 12-4 on the puck line as an underdog overall.
As such, it’s not a terrible idea to play Vancouver +1.5 (-170 at DraftKings), if you can’t quite pull the trigger on playing the Canucks straight up, and you would like a little bit of insurance.
Spencer Martin will be in between the pipes for the Canucks, and he is a solid 8-3-1 with a 3.45 GAA and .891 SV% overall. He hasn’t faced the Flames in his career, however.
Jacob Markstrom spent six-plus seasons from 2014-20 as a member of the Canucks, and he was pumped up to see his former organization over his first two years in Calgary. He was 1-1-0 with a 1.82 GAA and .917 SV% with a shutout in two starts last season against Vancouver while going 7-2-0 with a 2.38 GAA and .925 SV% with another shutout in nine starts during the COVID season of 2020-21 against the Canucks.
As such, trusting Markstrom is the major reason for backing the Flames, even with a rather moderate price tag and with Calgary coming off a three-game losing streak on the road.
On a side note, if you’re into prop betting, Noah Hanifin has a total of just nine shots across the past five games, posting two or fewer shots on goal (SOG) across the span. As such, playing Under 2.5 SOG (-130 at FanDuel) is worth a look.
For the Canucks, Elias Pettersson has managed two goals and seven points in his past four outings. Playing Over 0.5 Assists (-110 at FanDuel) looks like a good bet.
Canucks vs Flames Over/Under analysis
The Canucks were playing some fire-wagon hockey in a two-game span from December 5-7, scoring 13 times while allowing 11. Obviously, the Over cashed in those two outings, but Vancouver was blanked by Minnesota on Saturday in another Under.
Despite those two high-scoring games, Vancouver is still 4-2 to the Under across its past six games. However, the Over is 5-1 in the past six games on the road for the Canucks.
The Flames have alternated the Under and Over in each of the past nine games, so it’s hard to get a read on which team is going to show up. If you’re a trend bettor, then you feel an Over is coming. But you can’t make wagers based on coincidental trends.
I don’t like the total at all in this game, but the lean is to the Over. The Over is 5-1-1 in the past seven meetings in this series, and 22-10-5 in the past 37 meetings in Calgary. Better yet, the Over is 15-5-1 in the past 21 games for the Canucks inside the Pacific Division. Calgary is also 9-3-1 in the past 13 games inside the division. Those are way better trends to bet upon.
Canucks vs Flames betting trend to know
The home team has won five of the past six meetings in this series, with the favorite going 47-23 in the previous 70 meetings overall. Find more NHL betting trends for Canucks vs Flames.
Canucks vs Flames game info
| Location: | Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB |
| Date: | Wednesday, December 14, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
Canucks vs Flames key injuries
