David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and the Boston Bruins are set to face off against Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome in a cross-continent showdown. The first puck will drop at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, February 21, and you’ll be able to catch it live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins at Calgary Flames Odds
Calgary (+115) is currently the underdog to Boston (-135), and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under) at PointsBet.
Though the team is 38-23 straight up (SU) this season, Boston has actually lost 1.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. 34 of its contests have gone under the total, while 24 have gone over and just three have pushed. As the away team this season, the Bruins are 17-12 SU.
Boston currently touts the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s scored on 25.0 percent of its extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.2 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.3 saves per game with a .932 save percentage, Tuukka Rask (23-12-6) has been the top option in goal for Boston this year. If Boston chooses to rest him, however, head coach Bruce Cassidy may turn to Jaroslav Halak (15-12-6 record, .922 save percentage, 2.31 goals against average).
On the other bench, Calgary is 31-30 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 61 regular season contests, 30 of its games have gone over the total, while 28 have gone under and just three have pushed. It’s 14-15 SU at home this season.
The Flames have converted on just 20.3 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.1 percent of all penalties.
David Rittich has denied 27.8 shots per game as the top option in goal for the Flames. Rittich has 22 wins, 21 losses, and five overtime losses to his name and has registered a mediocre 2.93 goals against average and a subpar .908 save percentage this season.
Boston Bruins vs. Calgary Flames Betting Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Over Boston’s last ten games, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 6-1 in those games).
The Flames are 13-14 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 13-6 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
Calgary is 6-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Boston is 0-7 in shootouts.
Calgary might have an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 17-9 in games decided by one goal, while Boston is 14-16 in such games.
For both of these teams, the over has hit in each of their last five matchups.
Boston has averaged 9.6 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 10.0 giveaways per game (ranked 17th overall).
Calgary is ranked 27th this season with 12.0 giveaways per game. That figure has regressed recently, as the team’s averaged 13.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 13.6 giveaways over its last five.
Boston skaters have dished out the league’s eighth-most hits per game (23.7), but the team’s recorded just 18.4 hits over their last five away games.