Calgary Flames Looking To Keep Playoff Hopes Lit | Flames vs Coyotes | OSB
Calgary Flames at Arizona Coyotes
By Sam Batz
The Calgary Flames make their way through the desert on Wednesday, Feb. 22nd to face the Arizona Coyotes (9:30 PM EST, Fox Sports). This matchup is the second of the season, and after a thrilling first meeting, promises to be another hard fought contest. The Flames narrowly beat the Coyotes 3-2 in their home arena earlier this season, but must now travel into the mouth of the Coyotes den to face them once more. Calgary leads Arizona by 14 points in the Western Conference standings, but the Flames have anything but a clear path to the postseason. The Coyotes on the other hand, hover near the bottom of the standings and are extremely unlikely to see the playoffs this year.
Calgary Flames: Not In, But Not Out
If the season ended today, the Flames would not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have a 26-20-11 record through 57 games, which makes them the 5th seed in the Pacific Division, and the 9th seed in the West. Calgary currently has 63 points, 9 points out of first place, and according to FiveThirtyEight, are being given a 48% chance to see the postseason. From here on out, every game, point, and goal could mean the difference between triumph or heartbreak for the Flames. They certainly have a lot to play for, and against a middling opponent like Arizona, will expect to walk away with the win on Wednesday.
The Calgary Flames have lit the lamp a total of 179 times, but have also allowed 173 goals to find the back of their own net. The Flames average the second-most shots on goal per game (35.4), yet they rank right in the middle when it comes to scoring. Right Wing Tyler Toffoli, and Center Elias Lindholm, lead the Flames with 49 player points each. Toffoli leads the team in goals scored (23), while Lindholm leads in assists (33). Calgary will need these two, and their supporting players, to start converting more chances on goal if they want to keep their postseason dreams alive.
Arizona Coyotes: Playing For Pride
The Coyotes have little to no chance of making the playoffs. They are 20-28-9 with 49 points through 57 games, just 8 points out of last place in their division. Arizona is in 12th place in the West; 16 points away from a top-eight spot, and 23 points out of first. They have struggled on both sides of the puck, posting a goal differential of -44, the third worst scoring margin in the West. Honestly, it’s surprising that the Coyotes have scored over 150 goals, since they average the least amount of shots per game (25.9) in the NHL.
Arizona Right Winger, Clayton Keller, leads the pack in goals (23), assists (30), and player points (53). Coyote Center Nick Schmaltz trails Keller by 17 player points, but has the second-highest total on the team with 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists). The offense has done their best to keep the Coyotes in the game, but with limited chances to score and a defense that allows 3 or more goals per game, wins have been hard to come by in Arizona. The Coyotes are being given less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs, meaning they have nothing to play for but their pride. The Coyotes do have a chance to record back-to-back wins however, and will be thrilled to be at home, where they win 56.5% of their games.
Flames Vs. Coyotes Season Stats
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Calgary Flames (26-20-11) 63 179 (16th) 173 (15th) +6 35.4 (2nd) 3.14 (17th) 3.04 (15th) 15-11-2 (53.6%) 11-9-9 (37.9%) |
Stat Type Pts Total GF Total GA G Diff Shots/GP GF/GP GA/GP Home (Win-rate) Away (Win-rate) |
Arizona Coyotes (20-28-9) 49 152 (27th) 196 (24th) -44 25.9 (32nd) 2.67 (28th) 3.44 (23rd) 13-8-2 (56.5%) 7-20-7 (20.6%) |
Flames Vs. Coyotes Betting Trends
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Calgary Flames
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Arizona Coyotes
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Flames Vs. Coyotes Odds
Betting odds courtesy of PointsBet:
|
Team |
Spread |
Total |
Moneyline |
|
Calgary Flames |
-1.5 (+130) |
Ov 6 (-121) |
-200 |
|
Arizona Coyotes |
+1.5 (-155) |
Un 6 (+100) |
+165 |
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Prediction
I like the Flames in this one. Calgary versus Arizona is actually a more evenly matched contest than it seems at first glance, especially since this one is a home game for the Coyotes. On the road, Arizona has been terrible; winning just over 20% of their away games. But at home, the Coyotes are a different beast. Calgary will need to enter this matchup ready to play, or Arizona could steal the points with an upset victory.
I predict it will be a low-scoring game, but a close one nonetheless. Calgary has the edge in this one though. The Flames average 9.5 more shots on goal than Arizona, and with that, give themselves many more opportunities to score. The Flames hold their opponents to just 27.3 shots per game, which gives them a clear advantage over a Coyote squad who have played 27 games (47.4%) with fewer than 25 shots this season.
- Prediction: Calgary Flames Moneyline and the Under.
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