The Scotiabank Saddledome will be the site for a cross-continent showdown as the New York Islanders face off against the Calgary Flames. It’s the final time that these two clubs will go at it in the regular season. The opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 11, and it’ll air live on Sportsnet.
New York Islanders vs. Calgary Flames Odds
Calgary enters the matchup as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -175. The line for New York sits at +155, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 7 goals. The odds for betting that total sit at -105 money on the over and -115 on the under.
Calgary is 34-35 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a slide from what the team managed during last years regular season (45-37). Among the teams 69 games this season, 33 have gone under the total, while 33 have gone over and just two have pushed. The teams 14-19 SU at home this season.
The Flames have converted on just 18.0 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 13th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Flames have been penalized 4.4 times per game overall this season, and 5.0 per game over their last ten contests. The teams had to defend opposition power plays for 12.2 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Boasting a .921 save percentage and 29.0 saves per game, Mike Smith (24-23-6) has been the primary goalkeeper for Calgary this season. If head coach Glen Gulutzan decides to give him the evening off, however, Calgary might turn to David Rittich (9-9-9 record, .908 save percentage, 2.83 goals against average).
Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan will each lead the charge for the Flames. Gaudreau (77 points) has put up 20 goals and 57 assists and has recorded two or more points 21 times this year. Monahan has 30 goals and 30 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 39 games.
New York is 29-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 40 of its outings have gone over the total, while 25 have gone under and just three have pushed. As the away team, the Islanders are 13-23 SU.
The Islanders have converted on 20.7 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 30th overall and it’s successfully killed off 74.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York’s skaters have been penalized only 3.3 times per game in total this season, and 1.8 per game over their last five road outings. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 4.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jaroslav Halak (3.23 goals against average and .908 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for New York. Halak is averaging 30.1 saves per game and has 18 wins, 29 losses, and six OT losses to his credit.
Mathew Barzal (18 goals, 51 assists) has been one of the primary offensive facilitators for the visiting Islanders.
New York Islanders at Calgary Flames Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Two of New York’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 3-3 overall in shootouts this season.
- The total has gone over in three of Calgary’s last five games.
- New York has managed 30.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Calgary is averaging 36.2 shots per game over its last five at home.
- 44.1 percent of Calgary’s wins have come by two or more goals (the team is 15-19 overall in games decided by at least two scores) while 58.6 percent of New York’s wins have come by two goals or more (17-22 overall in games decided by at least two goals).
- New York skaters have accounted for the leagues ninth-most hits per game (22.9).
