Calgary Flames vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction: Best Bet for Saturday
Calgary played at home on Friday night, lost its one reliable goaltender to injured reserve, and now flies into Denver to face a Colorado team scoring 4.15 goals per game. Back-to-backs are hard under the best conditions. The Flames bring close to the worst ones imaginable to Ball Arena on Saturday night.
The Matchup
Colorado is 7-5-1 with a plus-1.00 differential, scoring 4.15 goals per game, second most on Saturday's slate, and firing 30.5 shots per game. Nathan MacKinnon has 22 points and 14 assists, and Artturi Lehkonen has 10 goals, and the Avalanche attack in waves that punish tired legs in the second and third periods.
Calgary is 5-7-0 at minus-1.42, scoring 2.33 goals per game and allowing 3.75, and Saturday is the second half of a back-to-back after hosting Seattle on Friday night, with the flight to Denver in between. Joel Farabee leads the Flames with 11 points and 8 assists, and Matvei Gridin has a team-high 4 goals, which tells the story of Calgary's finishing.
The Flames are also without Jonathan Huberdeau, who is out on injured reserve after hip surgery, and Connor Zary, who is out for Saturday. Colorado is missing Josh Manson, who is out, and Logan O'Connor is day-to-day. Keep an eye on whether O'Connor plays before placing a bet. Those absences trim the Avalanche's depth without touching the players who decide this matchup.
Key Factors
Calgary's crease decides how bad this gets. Devin Cooley, the one Flames goaltender playing well at 2.69 goals against and a .914 save percentage, is out on injured reserve, which leaves Dustin Wolf and his 4.81 goals-against average and .839 save percentage to face the slate's most relentless attack on the second night of a back-to-back.
Mackenzie Blackwood gives Colorado a steady 2.81 and .894 at the other end. Calgary's one genuine weapon is its power play, which converts 29.0 percent and faces a Colorado kill at just 76.9 percent, so Flames discipline from the Avalanche matters, and a couple of power-play goals is how Calgary keeps this respectable. The honest counterpoint is price and variance.
Colorado has alternated wins and losses for two weeks, its own goaltending behind Blackwood is shaky, and laying a puck line at a short price leaves no room for a flat first period. But flat starts are a luxury argument against a rested home team facing a tired visitor with a struggling backup in net and the thinnest scoring lineup on the slate.
A tired Calgary team with its good goaltender out and its struggling one in net is the worst possible visitor for the fastest attack on the slate. Colorado's waves come exactly when back-to-back legs go. Take the Colorado Avalanche -1.5 at -180.
Game Information
| Date | Saturday (10/31) |
|---|---|
| Start Time | 9:00 PM CT |
| How to Watch | NHL |
| Venue | Ball Arena |
| Spread | Colorado Avalanche -1.5 |
| Total | 6.5 |
| Moneyline | Colorado Avalanche -410 |
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