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The Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames face off for the first time this season in a crucial Western Conference matchup. The Flames and the Vancouver Canucks remain in a tie for the last wild-card spot in the conference, five points behind the Avalanche, who are in the first wild card. The good news for the Flames is the Canucks have been sellers this week while Calgary's front office made some acquisitions to improve their team. The Avalanche have won five consecutive games against the Flames and seven of their last eight meetings. Two of the three victories for Calgary over that span have come in overtime. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with an Avalanche-Flames prediction and pick.
Here are the Avalanche-Flames NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Avalanche-Flames Odds
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+155)
Moneyline: -165
Calgary Flames: +1.5 (-185)
Moneyline: +140
Over: 5.5 (-125)
Under: 5.5 (+105)
How To Watch Avalanche vs. Flames
Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
TV: Sportsnet, Altitude
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Avalanche Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Avalanche have been a middling team since their move to acquire Martin Necas in exchange for Mikko Rantanen. It isn't challenging to understand why, as a centerpiece of their team behind Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, left town in the middle of a playoff season. The Avalanche have to feel like their Stanley Cup window could close, and they would've liked one more shot with the core. However, the general manager felt it was time to get assets for Rantanen while they could. The good news for the Avalanche is they still have MacKenzie Blackwood, who has a 2.00 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage over their last five games.
Why the Flames Could Cover the Spread/Win
If you need a reason to believe in the Flames in this game, look no further than the vote of confidence they received from their general manager, Craig Conroy. The Flames weren't supposed to be contenders this season, as they were in the middle of a retool/rebuild with a rookie goaltender who needed to take his licks in the NHL. However, Dustin Wolf has become one of the top goalies and would be the runaway Calder Trophy winner if Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson weren't having such good years. Conroy acquired Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost earlier this week, which signaled they'd be looking to contend for a playoff spot and wouldn't be sellers at the trade deadline.
The Flames haven't looked 100% over the past few weeks, which makes the moves to improve their team shocking. Calgary has won just five of their past ten games and has lost four of the past six. The issue for the Flames is that their wins have come against some of the league's worst teams, while they looked overmatched against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets. A matchup with the Avalanche is a good opportunity for the Flames to see where they stand in the Western Conference, as Colorado has been a middling team.
Final Avalanche-Flames Prediction & Pick
Blackwood vs. Wolf has the opportunity to be a must-watch goaltending matchup. Wolf struggled in the last start against Toronto, but he is in line for a bounce back in this game. Take these goaltenders to have a good battle and surprisingly hit the under with the high-octane Colorado offense.
Final Avalanche-Flames Prediction & Pick: Under 5.5 (+105)
