by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Jan 26, 2023
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
Where to watch: TVAS, SNW, NBCSCH+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
FanDuel: Flames -400, Blackhawks +310
BetMGM: Flames -400, Blackhawks +300
Caesars: Flames -435, Blackhawks +328
Season record
Blackhawks: 14-28-4
Flames: 23-16-9
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!
Blackhawks - Flames preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Blackhawks: lost 5-2 at Canucks on Tuesday
Flames: won 4-3 (OT) vs. Blue Jackets on Monday
The Chicago Blackhawks will be playing the Calgary Flames on Thursday, January 26 in Calgary.
The Chicago Blackhawks lost against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, January 24 in Vancouver with a score of 5-2. The Chicago Blackhawks currently rank 8th in the Central Division. Petr Mrazek made 43 saves for the Blackhawks.
"We knew they were going to come out really hard, new coach and everything, so I thought we weathered it for a bit and had some pushback, just not quite enough in the third," Chicago forward Sam Lafferty said. "There's a lot of excitement and everyone wants to prove themselves, so they obviously dictated the play for most of it. We had a chance, so credit to Mrazek for keeping us in."
The Canucks outshot the Blackhawks 21-6 in their first period under Tocchet but couldn't beat Mrazek, who stopped Curtis Lazar, Bo Horvat and Schenn in alone.
"Just started slow and didn't seem to have our legs tonight and a little sloppy all over the ice," Chicago defenseman Seth Jones said. "If it wasn't for Mrazek, it could have really got out of hand."
Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 17:49 of the first with a screened wrist shot from just inside the blue line.
Andrei Kuzmenko tied it up for Vancouver 1-1, then Lafferty put Chicago back ahead 2-1 off the rush at 12:06, cutting to the middle between the top of the face-off circles for a wrist shot.
The Chicago Blackhawks have won six of their last 10 games.
The Calgary Flames won against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Monday, January 23 in Calgary with a score of 4-3 in overtime. The Calgary Flames currently rank 5th in the Pacific Division. Dillon Dube won it for Calgary at 2:25 of overtime with a one-timer from the top the right face-off circle on a 2-on-1. The rush began after Columbus player Johnny Gaudreau lost control of the puck and fell down at the Flames blue line.
"It would've been better if we won it in 60 (minutes) there," Dube said. "It was a huge effort."
Andrew Mangiapane had a goal and two assists, and Nazem Kadri and Walker Duehr scored for the Flames (23-16-9), who have won two straight. Dan Vladar made 22 saves.
"Another character win tonight," Kadri said. "We find a way to hang in there and fight off some adversity. Had a lot of opportunities and for the most part played a pretty solid game. That's always good to see. Around this time of year, everyone starts to understand how we need to play and what our identity is. It's midseason for a reason. You kind of have to kind of fight the dog days of an 82-game schedule, but this is the time where you try to dial in the detail."
The Calgary Flames have won five of their last 10 games.
Prediction
The Blackhawks have done well in winning six of their last 10, but the road is not kind to Chicago. Watch for Calgary to settle down and take this game. Flames 5, Blackhawks 3
The Chicago Blackhawks will be playing the Calgary Flames on Thursday, January 26 in Calgary.
The Chicago Blackhawks lost against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, January 24 in Vancouver with a score of 5-2. The Chicago Blackhawks currently rank 8th in the Central Division. Petr Mrazek made 43 saves for the Blackhawks.
"We knew they were going to come out really hard, new coach and everything, so I thought we weathered it for a bit and had some pushback, just not quite enough in the third," Chicago forward Sam Lafferty said. "There's a lot of excitement and everyone wants to prove themselves, so they obviously dictated the play for most of it. We had a chance, so credit to Mrazek for keeping us in."
The Canucks outshot the Blackhawks 21-6 in their first period under Tocchet but couldn't beat Mrazek, who stopped Curtis Lazar, Bo Horvat and Schenn in alone.
"Just started slow and didn't seem to have our legs tonight and a little sloppy all over the ice," Chicago defenseman Seth Jones said. "If it wasn't for Mrazek, it could have really got out of hand."
Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 17:49 of the first with a screened wrist shot from just inside the blue line.
Andrei Kuzmenko tied it up for Vancouver 1-1, then Lafferty put Chicago back ahead 2-1 off the rush at 12:06, cutting to the middle between the top of the face-off circles for a wrist shot.
The Chicago Blackhawks have won six of their last 10 games.
The Calgary Flames won against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Monday, January 23 in Calgary with a score of 4-3 in overtime. The Calgary Flames currently rank 5th in the Pacific Division. Dillon Dube won it for Calgary at 2:25 of overtime with a one-timer from the top the right face-off circle on a 2-on-1. The rush began after Columbus player Johnny Gaudreau lost control of the puck and fell down at the Flames blue line.
"It would've been better if we won it in 60 (minutes) there," Dube said. "It was a huge effort."
Andrew Mangiapane had a goal and two assists, and Nazem Kadri and Walker Duehr scored for the Flames (23-16-9), who have won two straight. Dan Vladar made 22 saves.
"Another character win tonight," Kadri said. "We find a way to hang in there and fight off some adversity. Had a lot of opportunities and for the most part played a pretty solid game. That's always good to see. Around this time of year, everyone starts to understand how we need to play and what our identity is. It's midseason for a reason. You kind of have to kind of fight the dog days of an 82-game schedule, but this is the time where you try to dial in the detail."
The Calgary Flames have won five of their last 10 games.
Prediction
The Blackhawks have done well in winning six of their last 10, but the road is not kind to Chicago. Watch for Calgary to settle down and take this game. Flames 5, Blackhawks 3
Betting trends
Blackhawks are 3-19 when playing a 3rd game in 5 days this season.
Blackhawks are 0-10 off a road loss by 3 goals or more this season.
Flames are 10-12 off an over this season.
Flames are 9-0 when revenging a loss as a road favorite this season.
Projected lines
Blackhawks:
Andreas Athanasiou -- Max Domi -- Patrick Kane
Philipp Kurashev -- Jonathan Toews -- Taylor Raddysh
Jason Dickinson -- Sam Lafferty -- Luke Philp
Colin Blackwell -- MacKenzie Entwistle -- Reese Johnson
Jake McCabe -- Seth Jones
Jack Johnson -- Connor Murphy
Ian Mitchell -- Caleb Jones
Petr Mrazek
Andreas Athanasiou -- Max Domi -- Patrick Kane
Philipp Kurashev -- Jonathan Toews -- Taylor Raddysh
Jason Dickinson -- Sam Lafferty -- Luke Philp
Colin Blackwell -- MacKenzie Entwistle -- Reese Johnson
Jake McCabe -- Seth Jones
Jack Johnson -- Connor Murphy
Ian Mitchell -- Caleb Jones
Petr Mrazek
Flames:
Dillon Dube -- Elias Lindholm -- Tyler Toffoli
Milan Lucic -- Nazem Kadri -- Jonathan Huberdeau
Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Blake Coleman
Jakob Pelletier -- Trevor Lewis -- Walker Duehr
Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar -- Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov -- Michael Stone
Dan Vladar
Dillon Dube -- Elias Lindholm -- Tyler Toffoli
Milan Lucic -- Nazem Kadri -- Jonathan Huberdeau
Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Blake Coleman
Jakob Pelletier -- Trevor Lewis -- Walker Duehr
Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar -- Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov -- Michael Stone
Dan Vladar
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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.
