New York Rangers vs. Calgary Flames: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/18/2023

by Chuck Sommers

Saturday, Feb 18, 2023
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Venue: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
Where to watch: CITY, SNE, SNO, SNW, MSG

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Flames -140, Rangers +120
FanDuel: Flames -125, Rangers +104
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Flames -135, Rangers +115

Season record
Rangers: 33-14-8
Flames: 25-19-11

The All-Star break is over, the second half of the NHL season can officially begin, and we're bound for what should be a very exciting second half of the hockey season. Basketball and hockey are about to rule the roost in the sports betting world once the Super Bowl is done with, and we should all be very excited for what's to come. When the trade deadline hits and players switch teams, you know things are about to get hectic over these final 30 games or so. One way you can stay tuned with the action is following what our champion handicappers are doing in the world of the NHL. Look at ASA, Inc., reeling in a $6,750 profit off a 17-9-0 run. Al McMordie is also doing well on the ice with a 13-5-0 run and a net profit of $6,050. Scott Rickenbach has also been hanging strong with a lot of betting action, in what's been an unusual year, with a 24-18-0 run and reeling in $5,950. You know this action is going to be great now that games are back and a busy second half if on the horizon. All you need to do is head to our BEST BETS page at bigal.com to find out all of what we're trying to tell you. Make sure you're locked in at bigal.com and go to our Best Bets page to find out what our champion handicappers have to say in the world of the NHL!

Rangers - Flames preview, prediction and analysis


The New York Rangers will be playing the Calgary Flames on Saturday, February 18 in Calgary.

The New York Rangers won against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, February 17 at Rogers Place in Edmonton with a score of 5-4 in a shootout. The New York Rangers currently rank 3rd in the Metropolitan Division.

Chris Kreider scored twice, and the New York Rangers rallied for their seventh straight win. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and assist for the Rangers (33-14-8), who trailed 3-0 and 4-1 in the first period. Igor Shesterkin made 25 saves.

"If you look at that first period, you might say that's a horrendous first period going down 4-1, but I thought we did some good things and the way we created some chances was good," Zibanejad said. "We had to make sure we trust our way of playing; just being patient, there is 40 minutes left at that point, and little by little you try to get back into the game, and that's what we did."

Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere scored in the extended shootout for New York. Nugent-Hopkins scored in the first round.

Kreider cut the Oilers lead to 3-1 on the power play at 13:36, tapping in a cross-crease pass from Zibanejad.

Kreider scored a short-handed goal at 6:26 of the second period to make it 4-2. He took a long bank pass off the boards from Adam Fox and scored when his centering pass bounced back to him off Barrie.

"We got some timely goals and special teams was big, outside of the first period, and we were able to bounce back," Fox said. "I thought [Shesterkin] made some big saves when we needed and we were able to battle back. He made a big save when it was 4-1 right in tight, and obviously, if they make it 5-1, it's a different game. But the short-handed goal was big."

Lafreniere cut it to 4-3 at 1:36 of the third period on a shot from the right circle off a centering pass from Kakko, and Zibanejad tied it 4-4 on a 5-on-3 advantage at 13:10.

The Rangers killed a 4-on-3 power play with 1:01 left in overtime after Zibanejad tripped McDavid.

"I thought we played a good first period, they had two power-play goals, we had great chances and I thought Campbell was outstanding in the first," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "It could have easily been a 4-4 hockey game after one. I like the way we played.

"We were down 4-1, [but] I thought the game was far from over. We still have 40 minutes. It's the NHL. It's not like the game was going to be over, and we battled hard and found a way."

The New York Rangers have won eight of their last 10 games.

The Calgary Flames lost against the Detroit Red Wings last Thursday, February 16 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary with a score of 5-2. The Calgary Flames currently rank 5th in the Pacific Division.

Dillon Dube scored in his third consecutive game, and Dan Vladar made 19 saves for the Flames (25-19-11), who have lost four of five (1-2-2), including 2-1 at Detroit on Feb. 9.

"We've been a roller coaster all year," Calgary defenseman Chris Tanev said. "Good one game, [stink] the next. Good one game, [stink] the next. That's on the leaders in here. That's me. My fault.

"It's a must-win game. We needed to win the game, and we lost to the same team twice in a week. We need to be better everywhere."

Elias Lindholm gave Calgary a 1-0 lead with a short-handed goal at 15:22 of the first period when he forced a turnover by Hellberg with his forecheck before finishing a return pass from Mikael Backlund.

"It's the best time of the year," Backlund said. "You want to be in a playoff spot. You want to play meaningful games like we are. You want to battle. And we should be coming out with more energy. We should play better. It's tough. If I had the answers, we would have fixed it."

Detroit scored two goals following before Dube tied it 2-2 at 9:03, scoring glove side on a partial breakaway. The Red Wings scored the remaining three goals with a final score of 5-2.

The Calgary Flames have won four of their last 10 games.

Prediction

You saw what Allan Walsh tweeted? Get ready for more of that if the Flames lose this one. Flames 3, Rangers 2

Betting trends


Rangers are 17-8 in non-conference games this season.

Flames are 10-16 after a non-conference game this season.

Flames are 11-17 after an over this season.

Projected lines


Rangers:

Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Vladimir Tarasenko

Artemi Panarin -- Vincent Trocheck -- Jimmy Vesey

Alexis Lafreniere -- Filip Chytil -- Kaapo Kakko

Jake Leschyshyn -- Barclay Goodrow -- Julien Gauthier

Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox

K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba

Niko Mikkola -- Braden Schneider

Jaroslav Halak

Flames:

Dillon Dube -- Elias Lindholm -- Tyler Toffoli

Jakob Pelletier -- Nazem Kadri -- Jonathan Huberdeau

Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Blake Coleman

Milan Lucic -- Trevor Lewis -- Brett Ritchie

Rasmus Andersson -- Noah Hanifin

Chris Tanev -- MacKenzie Weegar

Nikita Zadorov -- Michael Stone

Dan Vladar

Jacob Markstrom

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this New York Rangers - Calgary Flames 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.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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