In their final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Calgary Flames and the Philadelphia Flyers meet at the Wells Fargo Center. The first puck will drop at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 5, and fans at home will be able to catch this cross-continent matchup live on Sportsnet West.
Calgary Flames at Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Moneyline and Over/Under (O/U) odds have not yet been posted for this matchup.
Calgary is 25-17 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. 21 of its outings have gone over the total, while 20 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the road team this season, the Flames are 13-9 SU.
Calgary has converted on 20.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and it has successfully killed off 78.7 percent of all penalties.
Calgary, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties 3.7 times per game during the 2018-19 season, and 2.2 per game over its last five on the road. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 4.8 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Boasting a .920 save percentage and 24.6 saves per game, David Rittich (14-9-3) has been the top option in goal for Calgary this season. If Calgary decides to rest him, however, they may go with Mike Smith (13-10-1), who has a .886 save percentage and 3.09 goals against average this year.
Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan will both be relied on to facilitate things for the visiting Flames. Gaudreau (61 points) has tallied 23 goals and 38 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 17 different games. Monahan has 22 goals and 29 assists to his name, and has logged at least one point in 27 games.
Over on the other bench, Philadelphia is 15-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.2 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 22 of its games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and none have pushed. This year, the team is 7-11 SU at home.
Philadelphia has converted on just 13.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Philadelphia players have been sent to the penalty box 4.1 times per game this season, and 3.4 per game over their last ten contests. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Brian Elliott (25.0 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for Philadelphia. Elliott has seven wins and seven losses to his credit and has recorded a .911 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average this year.
Claude Giroux (13 goals, 33 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the Flyers.
Calgary Flames at Philadelphia Flyers Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Flyers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Extra-man opportunities may be even more key than usual in the outcome of this matchup. The Flames are 16-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 17-14 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total. The Flyers are 6-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 9-12 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Philadelphia is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Calgary is 0-2 in shootouts.
- Philadelphia is ranked 31st in the league this season with 5.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as the team has created 4.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 3.8 takeaways over its last five.
- One of the best at pressuring their opponents, Calgary is ranked third in the NHL with 9.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as it’s averaged 10.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.0 takeaways over its last five.
