Dallas Stars will take on the Calgary Flames in Friday’s action of the NHL 2021-22 playoffs. The hosts seek a victory that could keep their chances of winning the series. The away side looks forward to celebrating again and going to the conference semi-finals.
Dallas entered a losing streak in this tie, and they need to break it on Friday evening to go to Game 7. However, the home side should improve its finishing in the upcoming encounter. On the other hand, Calgary seems to have found its rhythm in this series. The visitors eye another success to continue their journey in the post-season.
Dallas Stars – Can they level the series?
The Stars head to this game after losing two times in a row in this series. Their defense was not at the level from the first three matches, and the hosts conceded seven times on the previous two occasions. On the other hand, they allowed only three goals in the first three encounters with Calgary. Also, the Stars managed to find the back of the net just twice in the last two defeats. Dallas lost 3-1 on Wednesday evening despite entering the final period with a narrow 1-0 advantage. However, they had 11 shots less than their rivals and eventually suffered another defeat that saw them trailing 3-2 in this series.
Joe Pavelski has been the most efficient player for Dallas, scoring a team-high three goals and having a total of four points. Jani Hakanpaa, Esa Lindell, and Miro Heiskanen logged two assists apiece in the playoffs, while three other players managed to contribute to the Stars’ offense with two pts. On the other hand, John Klingberg has 26 penalty minutes of the team’s 79 in total. Regarding the goaltending, Jake Oettinger remains Dallas’s first choice, having a .956 save percentage and allowing 1.63 goals per match.
Expected Line-Up: Jake Oettinger, Ryan Suter, Esa Lindell, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin
with best odds
Calgary Flames – Will they beat their rivals again?
The Flames turned around the result after being 2-1 down halfway through this series. They boked a vital 3-1 win on the home ice on Wednesday evening that saw them being ahead of their rivals. On the other hand, despite scoring seven goals in the previous two encounters, Calgary still hasn’t solved its offensive issues. They have a hard time coping with Dallas’s defense, which has been pretty disciplined so far. The visitors should try to put their best offensive performance in this series to secure the victory on the road and a ticket to the conference semi-finals.
Johnny Gaudreau leads Calgary’s offense with a team-high four assists and five points in total. Elias Lindholm tops the team’s scoring charts with three goals while having four pts. Trevor Lewis, Mikael Backlund, and Matthew Tkachuk have contributed to the Flames’ offense with three points each, while two skaters have chipped in with two pts apiece. On the other hand, Jacob Markstrom has made all five appearances for Calgary between the pipes. He allows 1.21 goals per contest and has a .952 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Jacob Markstrom, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau
Expert Pick #1 – Dallas Stars to win @+140
Although they are in a tough situation, I believe the Stars can bounce back and bring this tie to Game 7. They have been playing their best hockey at home, and I believe the bookies have heavily underestimated them. That’s why I’ll back them as my first pick at the plus money odds.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 5.5 @-135
The Under has been the safe choice so far in this series since it didn’t cash only once in the last five games. Dallas will be more defensively oriented again to neutralize Calgary’s offense and increase its chances of leveling the series. Therefore, I’ll go with the Under as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Calgary Flames Under 2.5 @+130
Despite winning the last two games, the Flames’ offense wasn’t convincing, and they scored all three goals in the final period in Game 5. Dallas could pose them more trouble in this one, and although it’s a risky pick, I don’t see them scoring more than twice.
