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The Florida Panthers continue their Western Conference trip as they face the Calgary Flames. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Panthers-Flames prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Panthers enter the game sitting at 18-10-2 on the year. They have won four of their last six games and last time out faced the Edmonton Oilers. The Panthers got up early, with goals from Carter Verhaeghe, Brandon Montour, and Aleksander Barkov in the first period. Zach Hyman would score for the Oilers in the second, but Sam Bennett would get that goal back on the power play. In the third, Verhaeghe scored his second of the game to give the Panthers the 4-1 lead. Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 38 of 39 shots as the Panthers took the win.
Meanwhile, the Flames enter the game at 12-14-5 on the year. Last time out, they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning. After a scoreless first period, the Flames would start the second strong. They scored three times in the first seven minutes of the second period to take a 3-0 lead, one thye would hold going into the third. The Lighting would start the comeback though. Brayden Point scored on an assist from Nikita Kucherov, and then 1:30 later, it would be Steven Stamkos from Kucherov. The Flames would hold steady though, adding another goal and winning 4-2.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Panthers-Flames Odds
Florida Panthers: -118
Calgary Flames: -102
Over: 6.5 (+100)
Under: 6.5 (-122)
How to Watch Panthers vs. Flames
Time: 9:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN+/NHLPP
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Panthers Will Win
The Panthers come into the game scoring three goals per game this year, good for 20th in the NHL. The team leader for the Panthers in points assists, and goals this year is Sam Reinhart. He comes in with 17 goals and 21 assists for a total of 38 points this year. Further, Reinhart has been great on the power play this year, entering the game with seven goals and three assists on the power play this season. Meanwhile, Carter Verhaeghe is second on the team in goals this year, while sitting third in points. He enters the game with 15 goals on the season, with 11 assists, good for 26 total points. Four of the goals and two of the assists have come on the power play.
Second on the team in assists this year, and second in points, is Aleksander Barkov. He comes into the game with 11 goals this year with 18 assists, good for 19 points this season. He is also tied for the team lead in assists on the power play this year. Barkov is tied in that regard with Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk comes in with five goals this year and 16 assists, good for 21 points. He has six assists on the power play.
The Panther's power play sits 20th in the NHL this year, with an 18.1 percent conversion rate and 17 power-play goals on the year. Meanwhile, they are 11th on the penalty kill this year, with an 81.4 percent success rate this year.
Anthony Stolarz will be starting in this game for the Panthers in goal. He is 4-2-1 on the year with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. Last time out, he came in for a relief appearance, playing one period, and only having to make one save in that performance. In his last two starts, he has gone 1-1 with a save percentage below .900 in both of them.
Why The Flames Will Win
The Flames have struggled some to score this year. They sit 19th in the NHL in goals per game at 3.00 goals per contest this year ahead of the Panthers by just fractions of a percentage point this year. The team leader in goals for the year is Yegor Sharangovich. Sharangovich comes into the game with 11 goals this year, and eight assists, good for 19 points. That ranks tied for fourth on the team this year. Nazem Kadri leads the team in points this year. Kadri comes into the game with eight goals and 14 assists on the year, for 22 points. His 145 assists lead the team, while his eight goals are tied for third.
Blake Coleman is second on the team in goals this year, coming in with nine of them. He also has 12 assists this year, to give him 21 points. He does not have a power play point this year, but he does have two short-handed goals and an assist while shorthanded this year. Also coming in over at 20 points this year is Elias Lindholm. He has seven goals this year with 13 assists for his 20 points. He has a goal and three assists on the power play this year, while also having a short-handed goal and assists.
The Flames have struggled heavily on the power play this year. They have just 11 power-play goals, and a 12.0 percent conversion rate, which sits 28th in the NHL this year. Meanwhile, they have been better on the penalty kill. The Flames sit ninth in the NHL with an 82.1 percent success rate on the penalty kills this year.
Jacob Markstrom will be in goal tonight for the Flames. He enters the game 6-8-2 on the year with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. He has not made a start since December second, and in that game he allowed three goals on 21 shots, taking the loss to the Canucks. Markstrom has allowed three or more goals in each of his last five starts overall.
Final Panthers-Flames Prediction & Pick
Jacob Markstrom has been struggling heavily before missing time due to an injury. If he comes back and struggles at the same rate, the Panthers will take advantage of that in this game. The Flames have not been great on defense either. While they beat the Lightning the last time out, they have averaged allowing four goals per game in the last five. When the Panthers have scored four or more goals this year, they are 12-1, with the only loss being in the second game of the season. The Panthers have been hit-and-miss in their last ten games in scoring. They have scored five goals in five of the last ten games. They have also scored one or fewer in three of those games. The Panthers score enough in this one and take the win.
Final Panthers-Flames Prediction & Pick: Panthers ML (-118)
