Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars Free Preview 12/22/19

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Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, and the Calgary Flames will do battle against Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, and the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center in a Western Conference showdown. The first puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 22, and fans at home can catch the game live on Sportsnet.

Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars Odds

The Stars (-150) are favored over the Flames (+130) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).

Earning moneyline bettors 1.1 units, Dallas is 20-17 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage is right in line with what the team managed during the 2018-19 season (43-39). Of its 37 regular season outings, 24 have gone under the total, while 12 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 12-7 SU at home this season.

The Stars have converted on 17.3 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 84.8 percent of all penalties.

Boasting a .926 save percentage and 26.7 saves per game, Ben Bishop (14-11-3) has been the primary goalkeeper for Dallas this season. If Dallas chooses to rest him, however, the team could go with Anton Khudobin (8-7-7 record, .928 save percentage, 2.31 goals against average).

Calgary has lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors this year and is currently 18-19 straight up (SU). Through 37 regular season contests, 21 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just three have pushed. As the visiting team, the Flames are 8-11 SU so far.

The Flames have converted on 18.0 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked sixth overall and it’s successfully killed off 84.4 percent of all opponent power plays.

David Rittich (.913 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Calgary. Rittich is averaging 29.3 saves per game and has 15 wins, 13 losses, and five OT losses to his credit.

Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars Betting Predictions

Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Stars, O/U – Over

Betting Trends

  • The Stars are 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Flames are 3-0 in shootouts.
  • The under has hit in three of Dallas’ last five games.
  • Calgary has managed 30.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Dallas has been attempting 35.2 shots per game over its last five home outings.
  • The majority (60.0 percent) of Dallas’ wins have come by two or more goals and the team is 12-8 overall in such games. 8 of Calgary’s 18 wins (44.4 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
  • Calgary skaters registered 16.3 hits per game last season, while the Stars forced 22.7 hits per contest.