Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks will face each other in the NHL 2021-22 action on Tuesday evening. The hosts enjoy an excellent campaign, and they want to keep up where they left off. The away side cannot be content with its performances, but they have improved their form lately.
Calgary is on a sound track to securing the playoffs spot, and they look forward to keeping the high level of their displays. The home side has been pretty confident this season, and they want to continue in the same fashion. On the other hand, Chicago had a very bad start to the season, and the visitors are far from the post-season zone. However, they started playing much better recently, hoping to get back into the playoffs spot race.
Calgary Flames – Can they stay on the top of their division?
The Flames have been on a hot run lately, as they lost only once in the previous five matches. They celebrated three times in a row, and they finally returned to the home ice after seven games on the road. Calgary beat the Bruins 4-0 in their latest clash and improved to an 11-3-5 record, which keeps them on the top of the Pacific Division. Dan Vladar led the Flames to the victory by keeping the clean sheet and saving all 28 opponent’s shots.
Calgary is 4-0-1 with Vladar on goal, and he has allowed just 1.57 goals per game on average. Jacob Markstrom has spent more time between the pipes, and he has also been very good with a .942 save percentage. The Flames’ defense tops the NHL defensive stats, as they concede 1.90 goals per match. On the other hand, Johnny Gaudreau has been the most active player in Calgary’s offense with 22 points, including a team-high 14 assists. Andrew Mangiapane is the Flames’ top scorer with 15 goals, while he also has 17 points. Elias Lindholm has contributed a lot with 20 points, while Matthew Tkachuk and Oliver Kylington have produced 12+ points each.
Expected Line-Up: Jacob Markstrom, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau
with best odds
Chicago Blackhawks – Will they get back in the playoffs race?
A poor start of the campaign may cost the Blackhawks a playoffs spot, but they showed signs of improvement. Chicago lost only once in the last six games, and they booked two wins in the previous three road matches. The visitors are 7th in the Central Division, and they need to keep up the form to get back in the post-season battle. They improved to a 6-10-2 record after beating the Canucks 1-0 in their latest match. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 40 rival attempts, while Brandon Hagel scored a winner for the Blackhawks.
Patrick Kane has been the most productive player in Chicago’s offense with 17 points, while Seth Jones follows him with 15 points and a team-high 13 assists. Alex DeBrincat has contributed with 14 points, and he’s the team’s best scorer with 11 goals. However, no other player has produced ten or more points. On the other hand, Marc-Andre Fleury has been quite good between the pipes, allowing 3.08 goals per game, and having a .911 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Marc-Andre Fleury, Calvin de Haan, Seth Jones, Kirby Dach, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane
Expert Pick #1 – Calgary Flames -1.5 @+105
Calgary has been pretty convincing throughout the season, and they will finally play in front of their fans. The hosts are strong favorites in this clash, and I believe they will meet the expectations. Since the odds on the moneylines market are not so high, I’m taking the puck line as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 5.5 @-120
The Flames have been pretty disciplined in the back, and they have conceded less than two goals per game on average. On the other hand, there are very few productive players in Chicago’s offense, and I don’t see this game going over a 5.5 margin. Therefore, I’m taking the Under as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Calgary Flames & Under 6.5 @+110
If you want to avoid the puck line and increase the margin on the totals market, I recommend this combo for the third pick. I’ll back Calgary to win in a match with fewer than seven goals for the plus money.
