The battle of division leaders in the West between the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche should be one of the best games of the night, while the Nashville Predators look to get on track defensively against the Ottawa Senators.
Calgary Flames (-115) vs Colorado Avalanche (-105)
This will be the third and final matchup this season between the Flames and Avalanche. The season series is split with the advantage going to the Avalanche who have picked up three points. The first game went in favour of the Flames 4-3 in overtime, then the Avalanche shut out the Flames 3-0 in their second game. Both were at home for the Avalanche, so the Flames now have the advantage going into this one.
This is a battle of division leaders in the West who could possibly play each other in the conference finals this season. Both teams are 4-1-1 since they last played. The Avalanche are coming off an overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild, so that won’t sit well with them, while the Flames look to stay hot after a 9-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers in the Battle of Alberta. Since the Flames are at home, I’d advise taking them but take the under (U6.5, -115) as it should be a close game.
Nashville Predators (-225) vs Ottawa Senators (+185)
The Predators have really been having a tough time in their own end, sacrificing defensive play for offence, which is not the style of play that has made them successful. Sure, Roman Josi is the fifth-fastest defenceman since 1985 to reach 80 points in a season and Filip Forsberg has already broken the franchise goals record with 37, but Juuse Saros, their franchise goaltender, is getting little help.
The Predators are going to need Saros at the top of his game soon, and he will need help. This game is an opportunity for that as the Senators have scored one or fewer goals in three of their past six games. They do get a boost offensively from having Drake Batherson back. He returned against the Florida Panthers and recorded an assist in their loss. He has 35 points in 32 games this season and is integral to their success. This game should go in favour of the Predators but expect a high-scoring game (O6, -115) since both teams haven’t shown they can stop pucks lately.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
