by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Jan 16, 2023
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Where to watch: BSSO, SN1
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Flames -150, Predators +130
FanDuel: Flames -144, Predators +120
BetMGM: Flames -145, Predators +120
Caesars: Flames -154, Predators +130
Season record
Flames: 21-14-9
Predators: 19-17-6
We’ve hit the halfway mark in the NHL season. Yes, you read that right. We’re really hit that halfway mark that quickly. If you blinked, you probably missed a lot of good things happen in the hockey world. And with football about to be out of the way, look for our champion handicappers to get back on the rink. Oskeim Sports is on a 13-5-0 run in the NHL over the last 30 days, as is Will Rogers. Sean Murphy has also cashed in with a 16-10-0 run in the last month. Make sure you’re following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to get on this winning action!
Flames - Predators preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Flames: won 6-5 at Stars
Predators: lost 5-3 at Sabres
Two teams feeling the different sides of winning and losing, the Nashville Predators will host the Calgary Flames on Monday at Bridgestone Arena.
The Flames are coming in winners of two in a row, the latest game a thrilling 6-5 game on Saturday against the Dallas Stars, the second team in the Western Conference. Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist, and Dan Vladar made 29 saves in what was a true up-and-down game against Dallas goalie Scott Wedgewood.
The Flames have gotten some much-needed separation in the wild card race with those two wins, now tied with the Edmonton Oilers for both wild card spots. They trail the Vegas Golden Knights by seven points for the lead in the Pacific Division.
"Those games are hard, especially for a goalie," Vladar said. "I saw some shots early, and then as the game went on, we took over big time. It was a 6-1 game, and my job was to not let them get back in it, and they did. I've just got to make that save to not let them get any momentum. Not the best game for me, but two points, huge."
The Flames have been looking good overall as of late, going 6-2-2 in their last 10. While it’s taken some time for the Flames to get this new group of Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau going, they’ve found way to win games as of late, and with the All-Star break on the horizon, that part is looking good.
"We talked a lot about that Dallas is good at home (12-5-3), and we wanted to have a good first period and make sure we did things right," Calgary coach Darryl Sutter said. "We did that. A really good first period and we had momentum all the way through the second. We lost Robertson late, and he feeds Seguin, and they make it the 6-2 goal. They got the momentum, and that comes into the third."
The Predators, meanwhile, are in a little bit of a funk. While Calgary keeps winning and putting the pressure on the teams below them, Nashville has lost three straight and is now seven points behind in the wild card picture. The latest was a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist, while Juuse Saros made 28 saves.
"I think we felt good going into the third, obviously had a lot of momentum," Predators captain Roman Josi said. "Gave up one on the power play, the short-handed goal, which was the tiebreaker.
"That can't happen on the power play, when you have a chance to score. If you can't score, [at least] get some momentum. Can't get scored on."
Nashville was looking good before this losing streak, going 5-1-1 in a seven-game span. Their inconsistencies haven’t had much to desire, but Nashville has time to get something going. Right now, it’d be hard to do so.
Prediction
Calgary is just on too good of a roll right now to pick against them, especially when you don’t know what team Nashville is going to field on this day. Give me the Flames in a barnburner. See what I did there? Flames 5, Predators 4
Betting trends
Flames are 120-117 on the road after allowing 2 goals or more in the third period since 1996.
Predators are 1-7 after allowing 2 goals or more in the third period last game this season.
Predators are 8-14 after a loss this season.
Projected lines
Flames:
Dillon Dube -- Elias Lindholm -- Tyler Toffoli
Milan Lucic -- Nazem Kadri -- Jonathan Huberdeau
Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Blake Coleman
Trevor Lewis -- Adam Ruzicka -- Walker Duehr
Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar -- Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov -- Michael Stone
Dan Vladar
Predators:
Filip Forsberg -- Juuso Parssinen -- Matt Duchene
Nino Niederreiter -- Ryan Johansen -- Mikael Granlund
Cole Smith -- Cody Glass -- Colton Sissons
Yakov Trenin -- Tommy Novak -- Tanner Jeannot
Ryan McDonagh -- Roman Josi
Mattias Ekholm -- Dante Fabbro
Jeremy Lauzon -- Roland McKeown
Juuse Saros
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Calgary Flames - Nashville Predators prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
