Calgary Flames will host Washington Capitals in one of the most exciting NHL games on Tuesday evening. The hosts have played very well lately, and they want to extend their positive run. The away side has been running hot and cold, but they go to this match hoping to continue their winning streak.
Calgary hopes to build up on its latest home match and enjoy another success. The home side tops its division, and they don’t want to slip from the pole position at the end of the regular season. On the other hand, Washington has been struggling with consistency for some time. Nevertheless, the visitors raised the level of their performances recently and look forward to another victory.
Calgary Flames –Will they extend their positive run?
The Flames head to the second straight home game after two consecutive victories. They helped them remain on the top of the Pacific Division with a 34-14-7 record and four points ahead of the Kings. However, Calgary also has three games in hand and a great chance to lock the pole position. The Flames were better than the Edmonton Oilers in their most recent match, celebrating a 3-1 win. Jacob Markstrom had an excellent evening between the pipes with a .964 save percentage, while Tyler Toffoli led the Flames to success by scoring a brace.
Johnny Gaudreau tops the Flames’ offensive charts with a total of 73 points, including a team-high 50 assists. Matthew Tkachuk has produced 65 points, while Elias Lindholm has contributed to Calgary’s offense with 58 pts. Andrew Mangiapane is the Flames’ top scorer with 29 goals and 42 points in total, while Rasmus Andersson has chipped in with 31. On the goal, Jacob Markstrom enjoyed most of the action with 44 appearances, having a .926 save percentage and allowing 2.14 goals per contest.
Expected Line-Up: Jacob Markstrom, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau
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Washington Capitals – Can they become more consistent?
The Capitals have been hit or miss lately, but they managed to tie two straight victories. They are currently 4th in the Metropolitan Division with a 30-18-9 record, being ten points ahead of the fifth-placed Columbus Blue Jackets. They go on a trip to Calgary after three straight games on the home ice. In the most recent one, the Caps booked a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Although they had six shots less than their rivals, Conor Sheary with a brace and Alex Ovechkin, with a goal and a pair of assists, led them to the victory.
Alex Ovechkin has been the most productive player in Washington’s offense with 68 points, being the team’s top scorer at the same time with 34 goals. Evgeny Kuznetsov tops the assists charts with 36 while contributing with a total of 52 pts. John Carlson has chipped in with 45 points, while Tom Wilson needs two more to reach the 40-point mark. On the other hand, Ilya Samsonov has five appearances more than Vitek Vanecek, and these two goalies spent most of the time between the pipes for the Caps.
Expected Line-Up: Vitek Vanecek, Dmitry Orlov, John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Expert Pick #1 – Flames to win (Inc. OT and Pen.) @-140
We can rarely see the Caps in the underdog role, and although it’s tempting to back them, I’ll stick to the hosts. They have been more consistent recently, while the visitors are running hot and cold. Therefore, I’ll back the Flames as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 6 @-105
Calgary has been pretty tight in the back this season, and I expect them to continue in the same fashion. Although they’ve been involved in some efficient games recently, I don’t think there will be more than six goals in this one. Give me the Under as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Capitals Under 2.5 @+115
Consequently, I’ll go with a riskier pick here, backing the hosts to hold the Caps to two goals at most. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s worth trying on the plus money odds. Nevertheless, I have confidence in Calgary’s defense to pull off this success.
