Vancouver Canucks (0-0) vs Calgary Flames (0-0)
Game Info: Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 10:00 pm (Rogers Arena)
The Line: Betting Odds: Vancouver Canucks -190 / Calgary Flames +160 — Over/Under: 6
The Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks meet Wednesday in NHL action from Rogers Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks prediction.
Calgary Flames Team Preview
The Calgary Flames come into the 2024-25 season looking to shake off a disappointing season in 2023-24, finishing with a 38-39-5 record, missing the playoffs for the second straight season. Nazem Kadri’s back after leading the Flames with 75 points last year with a team-high 46 assists. Yegor Sharangovich was one of the brighter spots for the Flames after finishing with a team-high 31 goals, but there will need to be a lot of help for Calgary to take a step forward in what is expected to be another rebuilding year.
Defensively, the blue line is retooling with Mackenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson both back as the only full-time d-men back from Calgary’s lineup last year. Between the pipes, Jacob Markstrom’s gone to New Jersey, leaving the starting gig in goal to Dustin Wolf who was the AHL MVP in 2023 and got a taste of the big time with the Flames last season, going 7-7-1 with a 3.16 GAA and an .893 save percentage alongside journeyman backup Dan Vladar. The Flames will take on the Flyers, Oilers, Blackhawks, Kraken, and Penguins after this game.
Why the Calgary Flames will win
- The Canucks have lost three of their last four games as favorites.
- The underdogs have won eight of the Canucks’ last 12 games.
- The Canucks have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last nine Wednesday games as favorites.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Canucks’ last six games at Rogers Arena.
Vancouver Canucks Team Preview
The Vancouver Canucks come into the 2024-25 campaign hoping to keep the momentum going after finishing with an overall record of 50-23-9, winning the Pacific division for the first time in franchise history and their first division title overall since the 2012-13 season. The Canucks knocked out Nashville in six games in the first round before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup runner-up Edmonton Oilers in seven games. Vancouver’s 26-point increase from the previous season was the largest in the NHL and the Canucks have the pieces to replicate that success. Rick Tocchet instilled a gritty, winning culture in Vancouver, and Brock Boeser had a breakthrough with a 40-goal season, JT Miller had 109 points and Elias Pettersson is still in fine form and expected to have a bounce-back year while the Canucks brought in Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and Daniel Sprong to add depth along the forward lines.
Defensively, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek are back at the top of the defensive pairings and will have to be on their A-game. Thatcher Demko’s expected to be the #1 option in goal when healthy, but he’s currently nursing an injury that’s expected to keep him out for the first month of the season which is big considering he had career highs of 35 wins and 5 shutouts last season. Arturs Silovs did well filling in in the postseason, but Silovs still has just nine starts at the NHL level, which will mean trial by fire early on.
Why the Vancouver Canucks will win
- The favorites have won each of the Flames’ last eight games.
- The Flames have lost seven of their last eight road openers.
- The Flames have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven games as road underdogs.
- The Canucks have covered the puck line in nine of their last 10 games against the Flames at Rogers Arena.
Flames vs. Canucks Prediction
I’m on the Flames here. I think Calgary will eventually bottom out at some point, but early on is usually a time when optimism is high and everyone’s on a level playing field, so teams usually come out of the gate with some fire and I think there’s too much juice being laid with the Canucks in this spot. Sure, Vancouver’s a deserved favorite at home, but this is a hefty price without their #1 goaltender and I think that could prove costly here. Give me the Calgary Flames here.