In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the San Jose Sharks and the Calgary Flames collide at the Scotiabank Saddledome in a divisional showdown. This one gets underway at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 14 and it’ll be televised live on Sportsnet Flames.
San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames Odds
The Flames are 16-15 straight up (SU) and have lost 1.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage isn’t too far off from to the 45-37 record the team produced during last years regular season campaign. Of its 31 games this season, 15 have gone over the total, while another 15 have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team is 8-8 SU at home.
Calgary’s converted on 18.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 27th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.0 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Calgary has been penalized 3.8 times per game overall this season, and 2.8 per game over its last five contests at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 6.6 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, overall.
Averaging 28.4 saves per game with a .919 save percentage, Mike Smith (14-13-3) has been the top goalkeeper for the Flames this year. If head coach Glen Gulutzan chooses to give him a breather, however, the Flames could roll with Eddie Lack (1-3-3 record, .813 save percentage, 5.29 goals against average).
The Flames will continue seeking leadership out of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Gaudreau (38 points) has put up 12 goals and 26 assists and has recorded two or more points on 12 different occasions this year. Monahan has 17 goals and 13 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 19 games.
Over on the other bench, San Jose is 16-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 29 regular season outings, 20 of its games have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and just one has pushed. As a road team, San Jose is 7-5 SU so far.
San Jose has converted on 19.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked third overall and it’s successfully killed off 86.7 percent of all penalties.
San Jose’s players have been penalized 3.9 times per game this season, and 5.2 per game over their last five outings. The team has had to kill penalties a whopping 14.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Martin Jones (25.2 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for San Jose. Jones has 11 wins, 10 losses, and three OT losses to his credit, while registering a .915 save percentage and 2.49 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Sharks will be Logan Couture (15 goals, 10 assists) and Joe Thornton (five goals, 16 assists).
San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- San Jose is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Calgary is 2-2 in shootouts.
- The total has gone under in three of Calgary’s last five games.
- This game features two clubs that put the puck on goal a lot. San Jose has registered the leagues 10th-most shots on goal (33.0) while Calgary has attempted the 10th-most (33.1).
- Over San Jose’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-2 in those games).
