Betway Bets of the Day: Calgary Flames vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Welcome to the Betway Bets of the Day! Every single game day we are going to provide you with some recommended bets while also showing the value behind placing said bets.

Now i will say it is way too early and still too small of a sample size for both teams to outright say this is how they are going to always play. We need 30 games of sample at minimum and ideally want double that – but it does give us a sense of how each team is structurally playing in the attacking/defending zones.

Pittsburgh to date has employed a more aggressive attack than the Flames but a worse defensive structure – it should balance out as fairly even. Calgary’s failed so far to get many goals to the right side of the goalie – getting them from the center of the slot and to the left. Pittsburgh has swarmed the right side of the goaltenders to the tune of for more actual goals than what was created in expected goals – 28 to 24.2.

In terms of xG the Flames themselves have had a bad couple of games – yet still got a win against Carolina. The win was on the back of some strong goaltending from Markstrom and really had nothing to do with the play of the 18 skaters – it was not good at all. Many players have come crashing back down to normal numbers with Backlund and Weegar still sitting above the rest. Backlund doesn’t really play enough for player props to make much sense, but there may be something with Weegar if the oddsmakers have something there. The top line continues to be well below adequate and putting money on them to do something not on the power play… the consistency isn’t there yet to make it a worthwhile investment.

It’s not crazy flashy but the only thing to consistently happen every game so far is Kadri getting on the scoresheet in some manner. His line has driven play nicely and he gets PP1 time without killing penalties. It doesn’t incite a major payout but we’d rather place smart bets than Hail Marys.

At -200 a $5 bet pays out $7.50

Malkin is rocking over 60% of the expected goals while he’s out there and still has his line in tact – if Jake Guentzel were healthy I’d recommend him as an anytime goalscorer, but he’s going to be out awhile. If you think Kadri is going to keep his point streak alive and want something with better odds this is the pick for you

At +125 a $5 bet pays out $11.25

Both real good offensive teams with proper structure and the idea that more shot attempts is better. The Penguins themselves have got less than 34 shots on net once this season – against the Habs. Calgary likewise is typically in the 33+ range. Together having over 65.5 shots should be achievable – even more-so if there are power plays.

At +110 a $5 bet pays out $10.50

Other lines you may be interested in