Overview
The Calgary Flames visit the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh Friday where they take on the Penguins. These two teams don’t play each other very often and that’s probably a good thing for the Flames as they have won just 2 of the last 12 meetings overall and it gets even worse in games played in Pittsburgh where they have won just once since 1995.
Head to Head Trends
Flames are 3-13-1 in the last 17 meetings.
Flames are 1-7 in the last 8 meetings in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins ( -194)
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 1st in the Metropolitan Division with 39 points 1 point ahead of the 2nd place New York Islanders. The Penguins had just a mediocre start to the season winning 3 of their first 6 games but then they really stepped up their game winning 15 of their last 21 games. The Penguins have been having a few injury issues of late with some key guys missing games so they haven’t been as dominant of late going just 5-5 over their last 10 games.
The Penguins are one of the higher scoring teams in the league averaging 3.3 goals per game but that has dropped off significantly in recent games averaging just 2.4 goals per game over their last 10. The Penguins also have a pretty good defense allowing 2.4 goals per game but again that has also taken a hit of late allowing 2.8 goals per game over their last 10 so the injuries have affected them.
Pittsburgh Penguins Trends
Penguins are 15-6 in their last 21 overall.
Penguins are 1-6 in their last 7 games playing on 3 or more days rest.
Calgary Flames (+174)
The Calgary Flames are 3rd in the Pacific Division with 36 points 7 points behind the 1st place Anaheim Ducks. This has been a great start to the season for the Flames but they have lost their last 3 straight games so they really need a win to avoid a prolonged slump and keep pace in the West. The Flames are also one of the higher scoring teams in the league averaging 3.1 goals per game and they’re solid on defense as well allowing 2.6 goals per game.
Calgary Flames Trends
Flames are 5-0 in their last 5 games playing on 0 days rest.
Flames are 16-35 in their last 51 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Conclusion
Even though I think the Flames have been playing above their skill level for most of the season I still think they’re a pretty good team and with the injury problems the Penguins have been having of late I think +174 for the Flames offers a lot of value.
Free Pick: Calgary Flames +174
