Islanders vs Flames

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Given the way these teams are trending, the puckline story starts with close-game tendencies: the Islanders own a strong 12-8-3 road record but often win by a single goal in low-scoring environments, while Calgary has been merely average overall yet quietly sturdy at 12-7-2 on home ice, making multi-goal separation harder to achieve for visiting favorites. The Isles’ cluster of injuries — notably Horvat down the middle and Romanov on the back end — reduces their ability to extend leads and play bully hockey late, and on the other side the Flames are without Blake Coleman and a couple of depth forwards but still lean on Nazem Kadri, Mikael Backlund and Matt Coronato to generate enough offense to stay within one. Historically, Calgary has dominated the head-to-head, including an overtime win in their most recent meeting, and Huberdeau’s assist-heavy track record vs New York plus Barzal’s production in this matchup both point toward tight, skill-driven games that often come down to a single bounce. With each club beyond 41 games and the Flames fighting to keep their season alive in front of a home crowd, you’re effectively betting on desperation, score effects, and empty-net risk working in your favor to protect a one-goal loss or better. Laying -225 on Calgary +1.5 isn’t cheap, but with a cover rate I expect north of 70% given the defensive profile, goaltending edge to Sorokin but home-ice push for Calgary, and the Isles’ heavy travel during this Western swing, the pick earns a B+ grade as a high-probability, lower-upside way to back a competitive Flames effort. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/01/2026 09:35 ([vegasinsider.com](https://www.vegasinsider.com/nhl/teams/flames/?utm_source=openai))