The Scotiabank Saddledome is the site for an East-West clash as the Calgary Flames take on the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. The puck drops at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 25, and you can catch the game live on Sportsnet West.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Calgary Flames Odds
Pittsburgh enters the game as the slight favorite with a -115 moneyline. The line for Calgary sits at -105 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -105 for the over and -115 for the under.
Calgary is 5-4 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.1 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked 2nd in the Pacific Division in this young season, is fairly close to the 37-45 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Among its nine games this season, five have gone over the total, while four have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 2-1 SU at home this season.
The Flames have successfully connected on 15.8 percent of their power play chances so far. That mark hasn’t moved too much from last year, when they were ranked 28th in the league by scoring on 16.0 percent of their extra-man chances. Their penalty kill has fallen off noticeably year-over-year as they’ve gone from successfully defending 81.9 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked seventh overall last season) to 76.5 percent this year.
The Flames, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties 3.9 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.4, the second-highest figure in the league. After serving an average of 11.2 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s been forced to kill penalties for just 8.6 minutes per matchup this season.
Averaging 24.3 saves per game with a .885 save percentage, Mike Smith (3-3) has been the principal goalkeeper for Calgary this season. If Calgary chooses to give him the night off, however, the team might roll with David Rittich (2-2-2 record, .950 save percentage, 1.83 goals against average).
The Flames will continue to rely on offensive production from Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. Gaudreau (12 points) has produced five goals and seven assists while Tkachuk has three goals and nine assists to his name so far in the season’s early stages.
Pittsburgh is 4-3 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of three of its outings have gone over the total, while another three have gone under the total and just one has pushed. The Penguins are 2-1 SU as the away team this season.
The Pens have scored on 27.8 percent of their power play chances this year after converting on 25.7 percent of their extra-man opportunities last season (which ranked them first in the league in that category). The team has gone from killing off 80.4 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 14th overall last season) to 84.2 percent in 2018-19.
Pittsburgh’s players have been whistled for penalties only 3.0 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 4.0, which was the eighth-worst mark in the league. After serving an average of 9.4 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s been forced to kill penalties for just 6.4 minutes per matchup this year.
Matt Murray (33.3 saves per game) has been the main option in goal for Pittsburgh. Murray owns a 3-1 record, and has registered a .893 save percentage and 3.95 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Penguins, the offense will be facilitated through Evgeni Malkin (three goals, 10 assists) and Phil Kessel (four goals, six assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins at Calgary Flames Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Flames, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Flames are 0-2 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Penguins are 2-1 SU when they serve more minutes than the opposition.
After posting a 2-2 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Pittsburgh is off to a 0-1 start in shootouts this season. Calgary went 2-5 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
The under has hit in three of Calgary’s last five outings.
Pittsburgh skaters ranked 18th last year with 7.1 takeaways per game, but the team seems to be applying more pressure on opposing offenses to begin this season. It’s currently ranked fourth through 7 games with 9.1 takeaways per contest.
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