Flames vs Predators

With Nashville winless in eight of its last nine and Calgary coming off a stretch that includes a gritty 5-3 win in Florida and a tight 1-0 overtime loss in Carolina, this matchup looks closer than the standings alone suggest, but home ice still nudges the edge toward the Predators. Nashville’s injury sheet is the heavier one — Zachary L’Heureux remains on injured reserve while Justin Barron and Jonathan Marchessault are day-to-day — whereas Calgary enters with no major names listed, leaving their core of Kadri, Blake Coleman, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar intact. That said, the Predators can still roll out a veteran spine of O’Reilly, Stamkos, Filip Forsberg and Josi, and O’Reilly in particular has already burned this opponent with a hat trick in a 4-1 win over the Flames last January, while Marchessault has chipped in a goal in his lone appearance against Calgary. Given Nashville’s recent spiral but stronger high-end talent, home-ice advantage, and prior matchup success, I lean Predators at -120 but only to a B- grade, acknowledging Calgary’s healthier lineup and improved goaltending behind Dustin Wolf make this more coin-flip than the price implies. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 02/12/2025 09:39am

Despite both teams sitting near the bottom of their divisions and struggling for consistency, the recent trend lines and personnel point slightly toward goals in Nashville, even if the number is shaded to the Over at 5.5. Calgary’s offense has hovered in the mid-two-goal range but has shown spurts of life, putting five past the Panthers recently, while defensive lapses have led to multi-goal defeats like their 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay, and that volatility is magnified on the road. Nashville’s season has featured some wild scorelines — including an 8-3 drubbing by Florida — and with Josi back logging heavy minutes on the blue line but the Predators still bleeding chances during this early-season skid, we can’t assume a low-event lockdown game. In net, the matchup of Dustin Wolf versus Justus Annunen lacks an established elite stopper, and if Marchessault is able to suit up alongside Stamkos, Forsberg and O’Reilly, the Predators still have enough finishers to exploit Calgary’s coverage issues, while the Flames’ top six is capable of counterpunching against a banged-up Nashville right side. I’ll shade to Over 5.5 at -120 with a cautious C+ grade, respecting both teams’ scoring inconsistency and the occasional 1-0 type outing on Calgary’s card. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 02/12/2025 09:39am

Given Nashville’s combination of a rough early-season slide and a forward group missing depth pieces like L’Heureux and potentially Marchessault, laying the big price with Calgary at +1.5 on the puckline profiles as the safer side, even while backing the Predators on the moneyline. The Flames have recently played in tight, low-margin games — including that 1-0 overtime loss in Carolina — and their relatively clean injury report allows coach Ryan Huska to roll four balanced lines built around Kadri, Backlund, Coleman and Huberdeau in front of a capable young tandem headlined by Wolf. Nashville’s ceiling is higher with stars like Josi driving play from the back end and O’Reilly, Stamkos and Forsberg up front, but during this slump they’ve had trouble pulling away, and even the prior 4-1 win over Calgary last season came in a very different context with a hotter Predators team and a slightly different Flames roster. With current form pointing toward another one-goal grinder more often than a blowout and the market already pricing Nashville as a modest favorite, I’m comfortable grading Calgary +1.5 (-267) as a B: high likelihood of cashing, albeit with limited upside. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 02/12/2025 09:39am