Calgary at Anaheim NHL Betting Preview & Prediction

Posted by Michael Hunt on Monday,April 3, 2017 3:24, EDT in

NHL News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

Important game in the NHL’s Pacific Division on Tuesday night. Both the Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames have clinched a playoff spot. The Ducks lead the division and are trying to hold off the Oilers and Sharks for that top spot. Calgary probably is locked into a wild-card spot but could catch San Jose. The Ducks head top this match as NHL betting favorites to beat the Flames at home, but let’s review some other info surrounding this game.

Calgary at Anaheim NHL Betting Preview & Prediction

#Flames prospect playoff updates? Right here! https://t.co/fRJdlqOcLG

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 3, 2017

When: Tuesday, April 4, 10 PM ET
Where: The Honda Center, Anaheim
TV: FSW2, SNO, NHL Center Ice
Stream: NHL.tv
Radio: Calgary / Anaheim
Opening NHL Lines: Ducks favored by TBA

Why Bet on Flames?

Calgary has just three games left and all on the road. These teams played Sunday in Calgary and the Ducks won 4-3. Kris Versteeg scored two power play goals in the loss. Versteeg is heating up and now has four points in his last two games. The veteran has 15 goals and 35 points in 67 contests so far this season.

Sam Bennett has only 12 goals and 25 points in 78 games this season. Bennett was actually benched for a game back in January but that really did not seem to help the fourth overall pick in the 2014 Draft. His first full season last year saw him net 18 goals and 18 assists in 77 games.

Brian Elliott allowed four goals on 30 shots on Sunday. Elliott has now lost two of his last three games, with four goals allowed in each of those two losses. Nonetheless, the veteran has been reliable lately with a 26-16- 3 record, 2.53 goals against average and .911 save percentage.

“They were better than us,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. “They were hungry. We dipped a little bit, in my mind. We weren’t quite as sharp as we needed to be. They looked the hungrier team. They were better than us.”

Johnny Gaudreau is just the fourth player in franchise history to have at least 60 points in each of their first three NHL campaigns (also Tom Lysiak, Joe Nieuwendyk and Sergei Makarov). Flames captain Mark Giordano is nearing a career milestone, needing just one goal to hit the 100 plateau.

Sunday’s tilt was the fourth of five matchups between Calgary and Anaheim this season. The Ducks sandwiched a pair of wins (one each at the ‘Dome and the Honda Center) around the Flames’ 8-3 win on Dec. 4 in Calgary. An amazing streak is on the line here as the Flames are winless in their past 26 games at Anaheim dating to 2004.

Why Bet on Ducks?

In Sunday’s win, Logan Shaw scored with 3:06 left in the third period to lift the Ducks to the win. Shaw drove hard to the net to swat the rebound of Ryan Kesler’s shot past Elliott for just his third goal of the season — and second against the Flames. With the win, Anaheim (43-23- 13, 99 points) passed the Edmonton Oilers (97 points) for first place in the Pacific Division less than 24 hours after giving up the division lead at Rogers Place.

Patrick Eaves, Jakob Silfverberg and Korbinian Holzer also scored for the Ducks. Kesler had three assists and Jonathan Bernier made 18 saves to improve to 10-0- 2 in his past 12 games. The Ducks are 10-1- 3 in their last 14 games and 11-2- 3 dating to the end of their bye week on March 3. The Ducks also increased their season-high point streak to 11 games (8-0- 3, 19 points).

Eaves has been red-hot of late with seven goals in his last eight games. He has 48 points this season and the Ducks made a great trade in getting him just before the trade deadline from Dallas for a conditional second round pick. Kesler took charge with his 34th, 35th and 36th assists of the season. He has 57 points in 79 games so far, his best output since 2011 with the Canucks.

Bernier made 18 saves on 21 shots. Bernier improved to 20-7- 4 this season with a 2.48 goals against average and .917 save percentage. His depth is certainly coming in handy and has helped the Ducks into first place in the Pacific.

The Ducks’ defense corps took on a different look Sunday as Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm both sat out because of upper-body injuries. Vatanen got hurt when struck by a deflected shot in the second period of Saturday’s game at Edmonton. Lindholm’s availability became in question when he aggravated a preexisting ailment. It’s not clear if either will play here.