NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Back Calgary to Dominate Game 5 (May 11)
Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Johnny Gaudreau.
- The Flames host the Stars in Game 5 on Wednesday night as home favorites.
- The Stars have gotten great play in net, but the Flames may have found themselves in Game 4.
- Jonny Lazarus breaks down the matchup and shares his best bet below.
Stars vs. Flames Odds
| Stars Odds | +180 |
| Flames Odds | -225 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (+105/-130) |
| Time | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Calgary Flames finally looked like the team we saw in the regular season in their Game 4 performance on Monday night, and that game might have completely changed the momentum in this series.
The Stars have relied on their young goaltender, Jake Oettinger, who has been incredible for them so far in the postseason, but his teammates had a hard time scoring on Jacob Markstrom.
The Flames needed to tie this series up at two apiece before heading back home, and now they have a chance to take a massive 3-2 lead. Will the Flames produce offensively in two straight games?
Can Oettinger Steal Another Win for the Dallas Stars?
There is absolutely no doubt that Jake Oettinger has been the best goalie in the playoffs thus far. Through his first four games, Oettinger is skating to an insanely impressive .960 save percentage with a 1.53 GAA and has only allowed a total of six Goals Against. In the Stars' last game in Calgary, Oettinger led his team to a victory with a 29-save shutout.
Joe Pavelski is doing what he does best, and that is performing in the clutch in the playoffs. Pavelski is leading the Stars in scoring thus far, with three goals and an assist in the first four games. Aside from Pavelski, the offensive production hasn't come very easily. The Stars are only averaging 1.75 goals per game and generating just 10.5 High-Danger Chances per game.
The defense and goaltending have been fantastic, but Stars have to get their forwards going if they want to win this series.
Calgary Flames Hoping to Take Series Lead at Home
The Calgary Flames found their stride in Game 4 in Dallas and are looking to carry that momentum back home for Game 5.
The Flames needed their big guns to get going in this series, specifically their first line, and that is exactly what went down. Johnny Gaudreau had his best game of the series thus far, scoring a goal and adding an assist. Elias Lindholm scored his third goal of the series while Matthew Tkachuk tallied his third assist.
The Flames have gotten close to the level of goaltending as the Stars through the first four games from Jacob Markstrom. He has been unbelievable thus far, skating to a .952 save percentage with a 1.27 GAA while only allowing five Goals Against. Markstrom was announced as a Vezina Trophy finalist, and there is no doubt that he is feeling very confident right now.
Stars vs. Flames Pick
The story of this series thus far has been all about the goaltending battle, but it feels like the tide may have turned in Game 4 with how well the Flames played. They were the dominant team and completely peppered Oettinger as it appears that they are the team we saw all year.
The Flames are a confident group that will be back on home ice, where they know they did not perform in Games 1 and 2. Expect another dominant performance in Game 5 from the Flames, and I think they win it in regulation thanks to another strong performance by Markstrom.
Pick: Calgary Flames to Win in Regulation (-135)
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