Detroit will host the inconsistent Calgary
Flames on Wednesday night. It’s the second time this season that the Red Wings
will host the Flames and Round 1 went to Calgary as they topped Detroit 4-1. But
the Flames are coming off a frustrating loss to the cellar-dwelling Columbus
Blue Jackets and the players have publicly vented about their one step forward,
one step backward performance so far this season.
They offer plenty of value on the betting lines if you
think they’ll bounce back but the Detroit Red Wings are likely to get their revenge.
Wednesday, November
23rd
NHL odds: Red Wings -185
The Calgary Flames can win because…
They’ve already done it before.
Back on November 3rd, the Flames ventured to
Joe Louis Arena and left with a 4-1 win. Captain Jarome Iginla scored a pair of
goals while Miikka Kiprusoff made 28 saves to earn the win. The Flames have
been inconsistent this year but at least they’ve have some confidence heading
into Wednesday’s game knowing they can get the job done.
Anytime Iginla and Kiprusoff are playing well – the
Flames two best players – they’ll have a chance to win. There’s a good chance
that happens on Wednesday as both players have good track records against the
Red Wings.
Kiprusoff has played well in Detroit recently as he’s
4-1-1 with a 2.78 GAA there in his last six starts. As for Iginla, he’s in a
funk right now but he has five goals and three assists in his last three
outings against the Red Wings.
The Flames have been up and down this year, but the good
news is that they’ve shown what they are capable of. Yes, they did lose to the
league-worst Columbus Blue Jackets in their latest outing but prior to that,
they did stomp the West-leading Chicago Blackhawks 5-2.
The Detroit Red Wings can win because…
The Flames are a complete wreck at this point and time.
Calgary is coming off a loss to the hapless Columbus Blue
Jackets – how much worse can it really get?
Yes, the Flames beat the Red Wings earlier in the year
but since that win on November 3rd, the Flames are just 3-5. They’ve
scored a total of four goals in those five losses and Iginla has just one goal
in that span.
The Red Wings have won six of eight and have outscored
opponents 18-4 while winning four straight at Joe Louis Arena. They’ve been
noticeably better at home this year as they are 7-2-1 in front of their home
crowd compared to just 4-5-0 on the road.
Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard is 5-2-0 against
Calgary in his last seven with a 2.55 GAA.
Outlook & NHL betting prediction:
Calgary is a tough team to predict these days and even
tougher to bet on. Detroit has plenty more weapons
that Calgary and logic says they run them off the ice as they have their last
four visiting opponents.
But the Flames are an odd bunch and it wouldn’t
surprising if they won. After all, they’ve already topped Detroit at Joe Louis
once this season.
Instead, you might want to consider the under as
Kiprusoff seems to play well in Detroit while Howard has a 1.85 GAA this
season, which drops to 1.70 when he’s at home.
The under is 6-2 when the Flames are on the road with a
total of 5.5 this season, it’s 7-3 in their last 10 and it’s 6-2 for the Red
Wings when they face a team with a losing record this season.
NHL Picks: Under