Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups. Today, we are looking at the game between the Calgary Flames vs. Utah Hockey Club in this round of NHL Predictions. Be sure to check out more NHL Predictions as the 2024-25 season continues.
NHL Predictions
Calgary Flames vs. Utah Hockey Club
Time: 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: Sportsnet 360, TVAS, Utah16
This matchup will be the first time the Calgary Flames visit Utah after they moved from Arizona prior to this season. Calgary got off to a surprisingly hot start going 5-0-1 in their first six games before losing their last three in a row, including being shutout in Vegas. Utah also came out of the gates quickly, winning their first three games of the season. They have been struggling since, going 0-3-1 in their last four games. This includes blowing a three goal lead in the third period against the San Jose Sharks, before falling in overtime. Someone’s losing streak will come to an end after this game.
Calgary Looking for a Win in Captain’s 1000th Game
Looking to snap a three game slide the Flames will have extra motivation to end their losing streak with long time Flame Mikael Backlund skating in his 1000th NHL game. This is Backlund’s 17th season playing in Calgary and there would be no better way to honour him, than with a win playing in Utah for the first time. To get back to their winning ways a few adjustments must be made. Nobody in Calgary was happy after losing 5-0 to Vegas. Head coach Ryan Huska as well as many players lamented the second and third period effort against the Golden Knights. They were outshot 30-10 and seemed to get outworked in many battles. They will have to get back to winning more battles and controlling play if they want to snap this losing streak.
Something else to watch for is how the forward lines open against Utah. They have been put in a blender during the losing streak. Reintroducing a healthy Yegor Sharangovich into the lineup has given coach Huska more options while possible upsetting the apple cart at the same time. Sharangovich is a good young player for the Flames, so they will need to get him going while not messing with the chemistry on other lines. With Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar anchoring the backend Calgary should continue to add offence from the defence. There is no reason for this team to be shutout again.
Utah Trying to Find Consistency
There was plenty of excitement in Utah after their new team opened the season with three straight wins. However, fans of their new team have quickly learned about the rollercoaster of a NHL regular season with the Utah Hockey Club going 1-4-2 since. With such a young team some inconsistency is expected but, they will have to become consistently better soon or the Hockey Club will be in fear of falling behind in an early competitive Western Conference playoff race.
This recent skid has been a combination of two factors, subpar goaltending and an offence that has gone cold. Connor Ingram was a revelation for this team last season winning 23 games with a 2.91 GAA and .907 SV%. Those numbers have taken a hit early this season dropping to a 3.87 GAA and .868 SV%. The hope for Utah is he can rediscover his 2023-24 form soon. If your goalie is struggling, the hope for any team is that their offence can gloss over those issues for a few games. Unfortunately for Utah that hasn’t happen. They have only scored 29 goals. Their goals-per-game is only 2.90, ranking 23rd in the NHL. Dylan Guenther and Clayton Keller have been carrying the offence early on but they will need some help from others in the lineup if they want to break out of this losing streak. Having Nick Bjugstad back should help deepen the lineup.
NHL Predictions Flames vs the Hockey Club
Expect both teams to start this game with some intensity after each team disappointed in their last outing. These teams are fairly evenly matched which should make for a competitive game. Playing in front of the home crowd should provide Utah with a boost. However, with all of Utah’s injuries on defence, the Flames forwards should have a chance to get back to their scoring ways. The goaltending matchup is another area to watch. If the Flames goalie rotation continues Dustin Wolf will be seeing his first road action of the season. He has much better numbers than either Connor Ingram or Karel Vejmelka so far this season. Calgary should have the edge in the crease.
Prediction: Flames win 4-3
Prop Bets of The Night
Two anytime goal scores to look for in this game, one from each team. Dylan Guenther is off to a quick start with six goals in ten games. He is +220 to score at FanDuel Sportsbook. For the Flames the lineup changes should help Sharangovich get on the board. He is +260 to score. Total goals is set at 6.5. The over has odds of +110.
Main Photo Credit: Sergei Belski – USA TODAY Sports
Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
