Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, 1/28/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens

Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021

Location: Bell Centre in Montreal, QC

TV: TSN2

Odds/Point Spread: Flames (+113) Canadiens (-127)

Jacob Markstrom and the Calgary Flames (2-2-1) travel to Bell Centre on Thursday where they'll take on the Montreal Canadiens (4-0-2). The Flames open this matchup at +113 while the Canadiens are coming in at -127. The total opens at 6.

The Flames were on the wrong end of the scoreboard with a 4 - 3 loss to the Maple Leafs in their previous game. The Flames had an average offensive output in this loss. In the outing, they converted 3 out of the 26 shots they looked to score on. Additionally, they had 4 power play chances and were able to net 1 goal out of those chances. Calgary ended up with 4 penalty minutes in this game. The Corsi for the Flames sat at 49 and the Corsi against was 34 telling us they have a Corsi percentage of 59.0%. Their Fenwick was 39 while the Fenwick against was 25, which tells us they had a rate of 60.9%. They took 27 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 20 tries to control the puck. The offensive zone starts for them were rated at 42.6% and they had a PDO of 90.7 for this game. In terms of their opponent's stats, the Toronto Maple Leafs racked up 21 shots. Their total at the end of the game was 10 penalty mins and they notched 2 power play opportunities.

Calgary Flames opponents have 18 power play opportunities (25th in hockey) and have racked up 3 goals in those attempts. The Flames have had 146 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .911. Calgary has attempted 152 shots and has a shot percentage of 10.5%. When at even strength, the Flames have conceded 9 goals while earning 8 of their own. Calgary has 24 power play opportunities and they have tallied 8 goals out of those tries, earning them a rate of 33.33%. For the year, they have earned 5 points and their points percentage is .500. In the matter of their scoring capabilities, the Calgary Flames have racked up 16 goals (20th in the NHL) this season and have allowed 13.

The player in the crease for this game is Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom has taken the ice for 277 games throughout his pro hockey career. He has compiled a win-loss mark of 112-120-33 and he has started in 261 games. Opponents have scored 733 goals against Markstrom in his pro career and his average for goals against per game is 2.80. Markstrom has seen 8,202 shot attempts taken against him and he has 7,469 saves. His save percentage is .911 for his 15,707 minutes guarding the cage. Throughout his time in hockey, Markstrom has earned 135 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .517.

The Canadiens went up against the Canucks in a game where the Canadiens ended up with the victory by a final score of 5 - 2. Montreal earned a 57.0% Corsi rating. They got there by having a Corsi of 53 while they gave up a Corsi of 40. Their Fenwick rate came in at 55.2% by earning a Fenwick of 37 and the Canucks having a 30 Fenwick. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Montreal had and they put on a good performance in this one. Their PDO at even strength was 106.7 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 66.3%. The Canadiens netted 5 goals out of the 33 shots on goal they attempted. They had 3 power play chances in this one but weren't able to finish one of them with a goal. Regarding their opponent, the Canucks had 3 power play attempts but were not able to score a goal. Montreal gave way to 25 shots on goal and the Canucks ended up with 23 minutes in the box.

On the season, the Montreal Canadiens have a total of 29 goals, 10 points, as well as a points percentage of .833. They have permitted 17 goals to be scored by of a combination of 10 goals at even strength and 6 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Canadiens have earned 19 goals at even strength and 6 goals (10th in the league) while having a power play advantage. They have a tally of 23 power play chances and they have a power play percentage of 26.09%. Montreal has attempted 213 shots (10th in hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 13.62%, while allowing the other team 165 shots. They have earned a penalty kill percentage of 78.57% on their opponents 28 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 13.6%.

Across the rink you are going to see Carey Price between the pipes. He has gathered 18,689 saves out of the 20,374 shots tried, giving him a save % of .917. Price has accumulated a career mark of 350-250-76 and has been in goal for 686 games. He has started in 674 contests and has played for a total of 40,476 mins. Price's quality start rate is 57.4% and he has made 387 quality starting assignments in his career. His opponents are averaging 2.50 goals/game and he has surrendered 1,685 goals overall.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Calgary (+113)

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