Calgary Flames vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, 11/18/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Calgary Flames vs Buffalo Sabres

Date: Thursday, November 18, 2021

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG Network

Odds/Point Spread: Flames (-177) Sabres (+145)

KeyBank Center is the venue where Craig Anderson and the Buffalo Sabres (7-6-2) will take on the Calgary Flames (8-3-5) on Thursday. The Flames open this contest at -177 while the Sabres are priced at +145. The O/U is set at 5.5.

The Flames were on the wrong end of the scoreboard with a 2-1 defeat against the Flyers in their previous contest. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 61.9% and they had a PDO at even strength of 98.3 for this one. They had a tally of 21 face-off wins when at even strength and lost on 24 opportunities to win the puck. Their Fenwick was 30 and the Fenwick against was 47, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 39.0%. The Corsi for the Flames sat at 43 and the Corsi against when the final whistle blew was 57 which had their Corsi rate coming in at 43.0%. Calgary amassed 8 penalty mins for this contest. In addition, they had 2 power play opportunities but weren't able to convert one of them into a goal. The Flames had a below average offensive performance in this defeat. In the matchup, they netted 1 of the 34 shots they tried.

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Calgary Flames opponents have earned 55 power play tries (5th in hockey) and have scored 7 goals in those chances. The Flames have had 475 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .928. Calgary has taken 555 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 8.8%. While at even strength, the Flames have allowed the opponent to score 27 goals while having 38 on offense. Calgary steps onto the ice with 49 power play opportunities and they have notched 11 goals out of those tries, garnering them a percentage of 22.45%. For the current season, they have accumulated 21 points and their points percentage is .656. With regard to their scoring, the Calgary Flames have accumulated 49 goals (9th in the league) so far this year and have conceded 34.

The man in goal for this game is Jacob Markstrom. From the beginning of his pro career to now, Markstrom has tallied 163 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .524. His save percentage is .911 during his 18,642 mins guarding the cage. Markstrom has had 9,569 shots taken against him and has accrued 8,716 saves. The opposition has racked up 853 goals against Markstrom in his NHL career and his goals against average per game is 2.75. He has earned an overall record of 137-140-38 and he has gotten the start in 311 games. Markstrom has been involved in 327 contests throughout his professional hockey career.

When they were on the ice last, Buffalo squared up with the Penguins in a matchup where the Sabres got the victory by a tally of 2-1. Buffalo had a 34.6% Corsi rate. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Buffalo had and the stats tell us that they didn't play well overall. They had a Fenwick percentage of 35.0% by compiling a Fenwick of 21 and the Penguins having earned a 39 Fenwick. They had a PDO at even strength of 113 and their percentage of oZS was 40.3%. The Sabres scored 2 goals of the 19 shots on goal they took. They had 5 attempts on the power play in this game but weren't able to score a goal.

The Sabres are sitting with 36 goals at even strength and 8 goals (22nd in the NHL) while having a power play advantage. Buffalo has put up 429 shots (26th in the NHL) and has earned a shooting percentage of 10.26%, while allowing the opposition 493 shots. For the year, the Buffalo Sabres are sitting with 44 goals, 16 points, and a points percentage of .533. They have a total of 42 power play chances and they have accumulated a power play rate of 19.05%. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 81.40% on the other teams 43 power play opportunities, and their save percentage comes in at 91.1%. They have allowed 44 goals to be scored by of a combination of 36 goals at even strength and 8 goals while they were shorthanded.

On the other side of the ice you are likely to see Craig Anderson in the crease. Opponents are averaging 2.83 goals per game and he has conceded 1,758 goals in total. Anderson's quality start percentage is 53.8% and he has earned 308 quality starting assignments in his career. He has started in 572 games and has accumulated 37,232 minutes. Anderson has earned a lifetime record of 295-254-69 and has played in 658 contests. He has a tally of 18,426 stops out of the 20,184 shots attempted, which gives him a rate of .913.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Calgary (-177)

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