NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Lightning vs Flames (Saturday, December 16)
Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images. Pictured: Nikita Kucherov.
Lightning vs. Flames Odds
| Lightning Odds | -110 |
| Flames Odds | -110 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -120 / +100 |
Two teams that have both been dealing with significant absences on their back end will go head-to-head in Cowtown on Saturday night, when the Calgary Flames host the Tampa Bay Lightning.
After playing their last two games without steady Chris Tanev, the Flames return home to the Saddledome with an 0-1-2 record from their three-game Central Division road trip. They're dealing with questions in net while starter Jacob Markstrom remains sidelined with an injury of his own.
The Lightning, meanwhile, have their starter Andrei Vasilevskiy back between the pipes. But they've been missing Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Victor Hedman, who has been out for two games with an upper-body issue.
Despite that hole in their lineup, the Lightning showed their championship mettle on Thursday when they overcame a 3-2 deficit and a massive discrepancy in shots to take down the Edmonton Oilers and end their eight-game winning streak.
Here's why you should expect more of the same from the visitors in Calgary on Saturday.
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It has now been three weeks since Vasilevskiy made his season debut following a surgical procedure on his back. He started out with a 1-3-0 record but has since won four of his last five games. On Thursday, Vasilevskiy bumped his save percentage up to .902 while making 53 saves to help the Lightning come back and grab a 7-4 win in Edmonton.
As the Vezina-winning stopper works to round his game into form, he has been getting good run support from the Lightning forwards. Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 50 points in his first 30 games, while Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos are also above a point a game after Stamkos logged the first four-goal game of his storied career against the Oilers.
After a nasty flu bug ran through their dressing room earlier in the week, the Lightning are getting healthier. Hedman has been listed as day-to-day, but there's no word yet whether or not he'll be ready to play against the Flames.
The salary cap may have robbed the Lightning of its top-to-bottom roster depth but as the Oilers saw on Thursday, they still have the ability to compete ferociously. Their special teams also remain strong: not surprising when Kucherov's 23 power-play points lead the league.
After a promising push got Calgary back to .500 at the end of November, the month of December has been less kind. The Flames have gone 1-4-2 in their last seven games, most recently losing in overtime in Vegas last Tuesday, then in the shootout in Minnesota on Thursday.
Jacob Markstrom's recent injury led to the call-up of two-time AHL goaltender of the year Dustin Wolf on Dec. 5. Including one appearance back in November, he's now 1-2-1 in five NHL games this season, with an .893 save percentage and minus-5.2 goals saved above expected.
That's slightly better than regular backup Dan Vladar. He sits at 4-4-2, .879 and minus-6 GSAE. Not ideal.
Outside the crease, the Flames have struggled to generate offense. Though their 5-on-5 puck possession game controls a solid 51.84% of expected goals, they're averaging less than three goals per game and their power play is a grim 12.1%. Having a low 5-on-5 team shooting percentage of 8.08% combined with a league-worst team save percentage of 89.35% combines to give Calgary a PDO which is fourth-worst in the league. They may be due for some better luck at some point, but need to get their scorers and their netminders on track.
Lightning vs. Flames
Betting Pick & Prediction
With the Flames back at home while the Lightning continue their high-mileage Western road trip, the oddmakers have kept the line quite even for this contest. They opened by making the visitors slight road favorites at -108, and that's where the value lies.
With their goaltending shaky, Tanev sidelined and goals at a premium, look for the Flames to sustain their fifth-straight loss while Tampa seizes two valuable points to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Pick: Lightning moneyline (-105 at FanDuel); play down to -115
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