Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames - 12/29/19 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: Vancouver Canucks vs Calgary Flames

Date: Sunday, December 29, 2019

Location: Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB

TV: R360/RSN1

Odds/Point Spread: Canucks (+131) Flames (-145)

Total/Over-Under: 6

Scotiabank Saddledome is the venue where David Rittich and the Calgary Flames (20-15-5, 3rd in the Pacific Division) will play the Vancouver Canucks (19-15-4, 5th in the Pacific Division) on Sunday. The Flames open this matchup at -145 while the Canucks are coming in at +131. The total is set at 6. The Canucks are covering 45.7% of the time, having gone 16-19 SU. The Flames are covering 46.0% of the time, going 17-20 straight up.

The Vancouver Canucks head into this game holding a record of 19 wins and 15 losses, which is good for 5th in the Pacific Division. During the season thus far, they have earned a total of 121 goals which ranks 6th in the West and 13th in the league. Their goal differential is +7, which is good for 13th in the league. The Canucks currently have a total of 42 points, which ranks 19th in the league and 11th in the conference. Regarding shots toward the net, they currently have a total of 1,205 which ranks 7th in the West and 14th in the league. As a group, Vancouver currently has a total of 692 hits which means they are averaging 18.2 per game. They currently have a total of 476 blocks for this season. The man in goal for Vancouver is Jacob Markstrom from Gavle, Sweden. He is 30 years old and has played a total of 1,557 minutes protecting the net for the year. Markstrom is conceding an average of 2.66 goals per contest which puts him at 9th among Western Conference goalies and 19th in the NHL. So far this year, he has allowed 69 goals. His save % is .917 which puts him at 10th among Western Conference goalies.

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The Vancouver Canucks came out of this game feeling pretty good about themselves with a 4 - 2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers the last time they stepped on the ice. The Canucks had a good offensive output in this win. For this game, they earned a goal on 4 of the 28 shots they attempted. Furthermore, they had 2 power play opportunities and notched 1 goal out of those attempts. Vancouver ended up with 11 penalty mins while out there on the ice. The Corsi for the Canucks sat at 58 and the Corsi against was 45 which means they earned a Corsi percentage of 56.3%. Their Fenwick sat at 39 and the Fenwick against sat at 33, which means they had a Fenwick percentage of 54.2%. They won 23 face-off wins and were beaten on 18 of all total face-offs. Their starts in the offensive zone came in at 48.0% and they had a PDO at even strength of 107.7 in this one. When it comes to their opponent, the Edmonton Oilers tallied 29 shots. They finished with a total of 11 minutes in the box and they tallied 2 power play opportunities.

The Flames will be looking to get a victory in this matchup and for the year they have 20 victories and 15 losses. In connection with goal differential, they are ranked 10th in the Western Conference and 23rd in the league with -11. They have earned a total of 106 goals for the year which has them sitting at 11th in the conference. Calgary has a save % as a team of .910 which currently has them ranked 9th in the league, meaning scoring chances could be there if they are opportunistic. They have a team shooting percentage of 8.6% which puts them at 13th in the Western Conference. In goal for Calgary is David Rittich who is having an ok year by giving up 2.65 GAA and that has him ranked 8th in the Western Conference and 18th in the NHL among goalies. In the 1,812 minutes he's played, he has given up 80 goals. He holds a save percentage of .916, which has him placed 11th in the Western Conference and 20th in the NHL among goalies.

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The Calgary Flames went up against the Edmonton Oilers in an outing where the Flames ended up with the win by a mark of 5 - 1. For this game, Calgary earned a 45.5% Corsi rating. They earned that percentage by having a Corsi of 40 and the team opposite of them having a Corsi of 48. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 41.5% by way of having a Fenwick of 27 and the Oilers having earned a 38 Fenwick. These Corsi statistics are telling of the type of game that Calgary played and they put on a good performance in this one. Their PDO was 112.8 and they had an oZS percentage of 59.4%. The Flames converted 5 goals of the 31 shots on goal they tried. They had 1 power play attempt in this outing but were not able to net one. As for their opponent, the Oilers had 2 power play opportunities but were not able to score a goal. Calgary conceded 29 shots on goal and the Oilers racked up 2 penalty mins.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Vancouver (+131)

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