The Calgary Flames, fueled by Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, are ready to take the ice against Dylan Larkin, Gustav Nyquist, and the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in an East-West showdown. The puck is going to drop at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 2, and it will be showcased live on Sportsnet West.
Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings Odds
The Flames (-170) are tabbed as the favorites over the Red Wings (+150), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Calgary is 24-16 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 40 regular season matches, 20 of its games have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2018-19 Flames team is 12-8 SU on the road.
Calgary has converted on 20.6 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 16th out of 31 teams, and the team’s successfully killed off 79.5 percent of its penalties..
Boasting a .920 save percentage and 24.6 saves per game, David Rittich (14-9-3) has been the primary option in goal for Calgary this season. If head coach Bill Peters chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Mike Smith (12-9-1 record, .888 save percentage, 3.00 goals against average).
On the other bench, Detroit is 15-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 41 regular season matches, 21 of its games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 8-13 SU at home this season.
The Red Wings have converted on just 17.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is also ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.6 percent of all penalties.
Jimmy Howard (29.5 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Red Wings. Howard has 10 wins, 16 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a mediocre 2.72 goals against average and a .920 save percentage this year.
Calgary Flames at Detroit Red Wings Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The majority (70.8 percent) of Calgary’s wins have come by two or more goals, and the team is 17-8 overall in such games. 6 of Detroit’s wins (40.0 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
- Penalties and power plays may prove to be even more critical than usual in this matchup. The Flames are 15-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-13 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, in total. The Red Wings are 2-9 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 9-14 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Two of Detroit’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 2-5 overall in shootouts this season.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in four of their past five matchups.
- Calgary is ranked 29th this season with 12.9 giveaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as the team’s averaged 14.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 17.0 giveaways over its last five.
- Detroit skaters have averaged 16.0 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 13.6 giveaways per game (ranked 30th in the NHL).
