The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers kick off their seasons in The Battle of Alberta. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EDT at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Oilers are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6 (-115o / -105u). The Oilers are a -220 favorite to win outright, while the Flames are +180 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Flames vs. Oilers predictions and NHL picks.
Flames vs. Oilers Odds, Pick
| Flames Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -135 | 6 -115o / -105u | +180 |
| Oilers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +115 | 6 -115o / -105u | -220 |
- Flames vs. Oilers Spread: Oilers -1.5 (+115 ), Flames +1.5 (-135)
- Flames vs. Oilers Over/Under: 6 (-115o / -105u)
- Flames vs. Oilers Moneyline: Flames +180, Oilers -220
Flames vs. Oilers Preview
There’s no better way to kick off a season than to ignite an already heated rivalry like the Battle of Alberta.
The Oilers already made waves after signing superstar Connor McDavid to a team-friendly two-year extension, to keep Edmonton’s Stanley Cup window open for the next three seasons.
Calgary, on the other hand, is in a bit of limbo, with several hefty contracts to veterans, yet have a plethora of high upside, young talent.
For now, Jonathan Huberdeau and Martin Pospisil of the Flames are starting the season on injured reserve, and there’s no real alpha on this team.
Yegor Sharangovich had a down season after posting 31 goals two seasons ago, and while Nazem Kadri is a reliable scorer, he’s on the wrong end of his 30s.
Perhaps it’s a way for someone like Matt Coronato to up his game, as well as Connor Zary to live up to his first round draft status.
The Oilers, aside from getting ousted in the Stanley Cup Finals, are one of the NHL’s most fascinating teams, outside of McDavid and Draisaitl.
They will be missing Zach Hyman for the foreseeable future, but the implementation of younger players like Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie will create an interesting dynamic.
The one major question that I’ll always worry about with the Oilers is their goaltending.
Just exactly what version of Stuart Skinner are we going to get this time?
You can argue he’s a big reason why Edmonton hasn’t walked away with the Cup at least once in these past two seasons, but then you can argue he’s kept the team alive in situations where the offense wasn’t clicking.
I tend to lean more towards him being unreliable. In 50 starts last season, he posted an .890 SV%, with a subpar -1.5 GSAx. Now, reports are coming out that he’s “looking different” this training camp, so who really knows what to expect?
Flames vs. Oilers Prediction
Teams like the Oilers, you either are going to get an offensive explosion, or a defensive disaster.
In the past three openers for Edmonton:
- Lost 6-0 to Winnipeg last season
- Lost 8-1 to Vancouver in 2023-24
- Won 5-3 against Vancouver in 2022-23
Calgary, led by coach Ryan Huska, actually err more on the side of a victory. In the past three openers, the Flames have come out on top in all of them
The Flames usually start the season with low expectations, then come out with a winning explosion, and then come back down to Earth.
On paper, the Oilers should blow out Calgary, but due to the trends that I can’t ignore, I’m targeting the Flames to cover here, and the books seem to agree. We cashed out last night with a plus money win, so let's stay on the safe side this time.
Pick: Calgary Flames +1.5 (-135)
