Back The Over In Panthers Vs. Flames

Panthers vs. Flames, 9:37 ET

Hockey has not been a very good to me this season, but just like the worst teams in the league, I am going to keep firing away and try to pull out a win. Maybe as the season goes on I'll get better, but right now, I am as transparent as possible, this has not been a kind year and it might be safer to fade me than follow me. Still, I think I have a winner each time I give these out. Tonight, I think there is a winning bet between the Panthers and Flames.

The Panthers are 18-10-2 on the season and in the middle of a five-game road trip. So far on the trip, they are 2-2 and have had drastically different results. In the two wins, they've allowed three total goals and scored five in both games. In the two losses, they've allowed four goals in both games, and they scored exactly zero goals. Now they take on a Calgary team that is somewhat struggling this season. These two teams match up rather well with the Panthers probably having a better defense than the Flames. They have committed more penalties on the year, but have been pretty good against the Power Play. When they have the advantage, they are very effective as well. I am expecting that their main goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, will be in the net tonight. He is tied for the 4th most wins in hockey with 14 on the year. He also has allowed the 12th fewest goals against per game at 2.49. He had a really nice November, but it has been a bit up-and-down in December. So far this month, he has allowed one goal in two of his five starts and he has allowed three or more in the other three games.

SAINT PAUL, MN - MARCH 07: Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) makes a save during the NHL game between the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, on March 7th, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Flames just came away with their first victory in their past five contests. They took down another Florida squad, the Lightning, with a 4-2 win. Before that, they lost four straight games, and had lost six of their past seven games. This is their last home game before they head out for two straight against West Coast teams. Outside of one-game homestands, they have lost their last game at home before a road trip each time this season. While it is a small sample size, I do look at things like this because there are a lot of times when you can find the start of trends here. The Flames are one of the best Power Play teams both offensively and defensively. If they get the Panthers to make some mistakes, they are going to have the opportunity to capitalize. Even when they are shorthanded, they've been effective this season, scoring six goals already. Some teams don't score six shorthanded goals all year. I like the aggressiveness of the Flames. They are probably going to have Jacob Markstrom in the net tonight. He's been essentially a last-in-the-league goalie based on statistics. He allows almost three goals per game, which is on-par with what the Panthers score.

I think this is an interesting contest since the teams matchup very well. If Bobrovsky plays well, the Panthers win with ease. If he allows three goals, then we are sitting with an over in this match. But, I still think the Panthers can win even if they allow three goals. I am assuming the Flames will give up their average which is over three goals per game. I will take the over 6.5 as I expect both teams to allow three goals in the game and we can't end in a tie. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one go into OT as well.

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