Carolina Hurricanes vs. Calgary Flames - 12/14/19 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: Carolina Hurricanes vs Calgary Flames

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2019

Location: Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB

TV: RSNW

Odds/Point Spread: Hurricanes (+108) Flames (-119)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Petr Mrazek and the Carolina Hurricanes (19-11-2, 3rd in the Metropolitan Division) go to Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday where they'll meet the Calgary Flames (18-12-4, 2nd in the Pacific Division). The Flames open this game at -119 while the Hurricanes are priced at +108. The over/under has been set at 5.5. The Hurricanes cover 56.7% of the time, having gone 17-13 SU. The Flames cover 48.4% of the time, going 15-16 straight up.

The Carolina Hurricanes head into this game holding a record of 19 wins and 11 losses, putting them at 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. During the year thus far, they have earned a total of 101 goals which is 9th in the Eastern Conference and 12th in the NHL. Their goal differential is +15, putting them at 6th in the NHL. The Hurricanes currently have a total of 40 points, which is 8th in the NHL and 5th in the conference. When looking at shots at the opposition, they currently have a total of 1,076 which is 4th in the East and 6th in the NHL. As a unit, Carolina has compiled a total of 415 hits which means they have an average of 13 per contest. They currently have a total of 270 blocks for this year. The man in the crease for Carolina is Petr Mrazek from Lugnvik, Sweden. He is 27 years old and has played 1,237 minutes in net for the season. Mrazek is conceding 2.52 goals per contest which has him sitting 10th among East goalies and 17th among goaltenders in the NHL. So far this season, he's allowed 52 goals. He holds a save % of .906 which has him sitting 20th among East goalies.

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The Carolina Hurricanes will need a bounce back game after taking a 1 - 0 defeat to the Vancouver Canucks in their last game. The Hurricanes had a below average offensive outing in this defeat. In this matchup, they finished 0 out of the 43 shots they looked to score on. In addition, they had 4 power play chances but weren't able to score. Carolina racked up 10 penalty minutes while out there on the ice. The Corsi for the Hurricanes was 33 and the Corsi against was 22 giving them a Corsi percentage of 60.0%. Their Fenwick was 27 while the Fenwick against at even strength was 19, which means they had a rate of 58.7%. They earned 19 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 21 of the face-offs. Their offensive zone starts came in at 56.3% and they had a PDO of 93.3 in this one. Regarding their opponent, the Vancouver Canucks racked up 26 shots. Their total at the end of the game was 8 penalty mins and they notched 5 power play chances.

The Flames will be the team on the other side of the ice and for the year they sit with 18 wins and 12 losses. With reference to goal differential, they are currently ranked 11th in the conference and 23rd in the league with -8. They have earned a total of 92 goals for this season which ranks 9th in the West. Calgary has a save percentage as a team of .909 which currently has them ranked 11th in the league, which means there should be some opportunities to score. They have a team shooting percentage of 8.7% ranking them 10th in the West. In net for Calgary is David Rittich who is having an average campaign by allowing 2.71 GAA and that places him 11th among Western Conference goalies and 25th in the NHL among goalies. In the 1,570 minutes he's played this year, he has given up 71 goals. His save % is .914, which has him sitting 13th among Western Conference goalies and 26th in the NHL among goalies.

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The Calgary Flames opposed the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game where the Flames notched a victory by a score of 4 - 2. For this game, Calgary had a 50.0% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by having a Corsi of 40 and their opponent having a Corsi of 40. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 52.5% with a Fenwick of 31 and the Maple Leafs ending the game with a 28 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi statistics are telling of the type of game that Calgary had and they showed up in this game. They had a PDO of 112.7 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 48.3%. The Flames notched 4 goals of the 24 shots on goal they tried. They had 1 power play chance in this game but were not able to net one. Concerning the opposition, the Maple Leafs had 3 power play chances but were not able to take advantage. Calgary conceded 34 shots on goal and the Maple Leafs racked up 2 penalty mins.

Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Carolina (+108)

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