The Calgary Flames will look to avoid a letdown as they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, after some significant travel between Dallas and Nashville during their two-game road trip.
The Flames have been one of the best teams in the league on home ice, with a record of 10-3-1 so far this season. They currently sit tied with the Vancouver Canucks for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but have played two more games.
After making some difficult decisions last off-season, the Lightning are off to a strong 14-10-2 start and rank 13th in the league in points percentage. They will be playing their third match-up of a four-game Western road swing.
I&#8217;ll detail the relevant game notes, as well as outline my favourite betting angle below.
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<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold">Lightning vs. Flames odds</h2>
<ul>
<li>Lightning Moneyline Odds: +115</li>
<li>Flames Moneyline Odds: -135</li>
<li>Puck Line Odds: Lightning +1.5 (-210), Flames -1.5 (+175)</li>
<li>Game Total: Over 6.5 +100, Under 6.5 -120</li>
</ul>
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning made some tough decisions last off-season, as they decided to let captain Steven Stamkos walk in free agency, and traded Mikhail Sergachev for JJ Moser and Connor Geekie in order to facilitate space to sign superstar winger Jake Guentzel.
Those decisions have panned out well thus far. Stamkos has struggled mightily in Nashville, while Guentzel has fit in as expected with 13 goals and 26 points in 26 games played. Moser looked to be an underrated pickup based on his strong underlying results in Arizona, and he has been effective on the top pairing alongside Victor Hedman.
Anthony Cirelli has bounced back with a spectacular start to the campaign, and has secured a spot on Canada&#8217;s 4 Nations Cup roster as a result. Regardless of who the third skater has been, Cirelli and Brandon Hagel have powered one of the best second lines in hockey this season.
Cirelli is day-to-day ahead of this match-up, however, after suffering an upper-body injury on Sunday in Vancouver.
It took some time for the Lightning&#8217;s power play to adjust to life without Stamkos on the left circle, but as you would expect from a unit holding Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point  and Jake Guentzel, they have started to jell of late. Over the last 10 games, the Lightning&#8217;s power play holds a 35.7% success rate, and should be one of the league&#8217;s best units moving forward.
It&#8217;s unclear if star netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy will start this match-up or not, and confirmation towards that is critical as the gap between Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson is highly significant. Vasilevskiy has started seven straight match-ups, and 22 of the Lightning&#8217;s 26 games this season. He holds a .912 save % and 2.38 GAA.
Calgary Flames
The Flames finally snapped their 25-game streak of <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/beyond-the-boxscore-flames-put-up-four-goals-in-physical-win-over-predators">scoring less than four goals Tuesday</a>, and earned a well-deserved victory over a desperate Predators side. The Flames generated 32 scoring chances and 14 high-danger chances in that match-up.
Home games after lengthy travel are generally viewed as potential letdown match-ups, but the Flames have fared well in these spots thus far this season. Calgary is 7-0 in match-ups at home coming immediately after a road game this season. While that&#8217;s not the type of trend I personally put much betting stock into, it certainly suggests head coach Ryan Huska&#8217;s side can match the intensity we saw Tuesday in this match-up.
Over the last 10 games, the Flames hold a 51.49% expected goal share, and hold a record of 4-4-2. While generating offence continues to be a struggle, they have allowed just 2.81 xGA/60 in that span, and look to have found an identity in playing honest, well-structured hockey.
Dan Vladar is considered probable to get the start in this match-up. He holds an .897 save % and 2.76 GAA in 15 appearances this season.
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Best bets for Lightning vs. Flames:
There are a number of key notes regarding the Lightning&#8217;s lineup which are still up in the air at the time of writing. As noted, Vasilevskiy has started seven straight games and will likely rest in one of the Lightning&#8217;s remaining games on this road trip. Cirelli has been a difference-maker this season, and is considered day-to-day.
My personal lean is with the Flames at +130, and if you are interested in backing them the time to do so is now, as if we do see Johansson confirmed the number to bet Calgary will likely come down considerably. Same goes for bets on the total; if you like the over it makes sense to bet it now, and if you&#8217;re looking to back the under wait until final goaltender confirmations.
Regardless of who is in goal, there looks to be value backing Point to record over 2.5 shots on goal at +105. He&#8217;s in the midst of another truly dominant season, and continues to get plenty of chances on goal playing alongside Kucherov. He&#8217;s gone over 2.5 shots on goal in seven of the last 10 games, and it makes sense to expect another strong performance from the Calgary native in this match-up.
Best bet: Brayden Point Over 2.5 Shots on Goal +105 (Sports Interaction, Play to -105)

Calgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (52) takes a shot on goal against the Nashville Predators during the second period at Bridgestone Arena.

The Calgary Flames will look to avoid a letdown as they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, after some significant travel between Dallas and Nashville during their two-game road trip.

The Flames have been one of the best teams in the league on home ice, with a record of 10-3-1 so far this season. They currently sit tied with the Vancouver Canucks for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but have played two more games.

After making some difficult decisions last off-season, the Lightning are off to a strong 14-10-2 start and rank 13th in the league in points percentage. They will be playing their third match-up of a four-game Western road swing.

I'll detail the relevant game notes, as well as outline my favourite betting angle below.
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<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold">Lightning vs. Flames odds</h2>
<ul>
 	<li>Lightning Moneyline Odds: +115</li>
 	<li>Flames Moneyline Odds: -135</li>
 	<li>Puck Line Odds: Lightning +1.5 (-210), Flames -1.5 (+175)</li>
 	<li>Game Total: Over 6.5 +100, Under 6.5 -120</li>
</ul>
Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning made some tough decisions last off-season, as they decided to let captain Steven Stamkos walk in free agency, and traded Mikhail Sergachev for JJ Moser and Connor Geekie in order to facilitate space to sign superstar winger Jake Guentzel.

Those decisions have panned out well thus far. Stamkos has struggled mightily in Nashville, while Guentzel has fit in as expected with 13 goals and 26 points in 26 games played. Moser looked to be an underrated pickup based on his strong underlying results in Arizona, and he has been effective on the top pairing alongside Victor Hedman.

Anthony Cirelli has bounced back with a spectacular start to the campaign, and has secured a spot on Canada's 4 Nations Cup roster as a result. Regardless of who the third skater has been, Cirelli and Brandon Hagel have powered one of the best second lines in hockey this season.

Cirelli is day-to-day ahead of this match-up, however, after suffering an upper-body injury on Sunday in Vancouver.

It took some time for the Lightning's power play to adjust to life without Stamkos on the left circle, but as you would expect from a unit holding Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point  and Jake Guentzel, they have started to jell of late. Over the last 10 games, the Lightning's power play holds a 35.7% success rate, and should be one of the league's best units moving forward.

It's unclear if star netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy will start this match-up or not, and confirmation towards that is critical as the gap between Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson is highly significant. Vasilevskiy has started seven straight match-ups, and 22 of the Lightning's 26 games this season. He holds a .912 save % and 2.38 GAA.

Calgary Flames

The Flames finally snapped their 25-game streak of <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/beyond-the-boxscore-flames-put-up-four-goals-in-physical-win-over-predators">scoring less than four goals Tuesday</a>, and earned a well-deserved victory over a desperate Predators side. The Flames generated 32 scoring chances and 14 high-danger chances in that match-up.

Home games after lengthy travel are generally viewed as potential letdown match-ups, but the Flames have fared well in these spots thus far this season. Calgary is 7-0 in match-ups at home coming immediately after a road game this season. While that's not the type of trend I personally put much betting stock into, it certainly suggests head coach Ryan Huska's side can match the intensity we saw Tuesday in this match-up.

Over the last 10 games, the Flames hold a 51.49% expected goal share, and hold a record of 4-4-2. While generating offence continues to be a struggle, they have allowed just 2.81 xGA/60 in that span, and look to have found an identity in playing honest, well-structured hockey.

Dan Vladar is considered probable to get the start in this match-up. He holds an .897 save % and 2.76 GAA in 15 appearances this season.
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Best bets for Lightning vs. Flames:

There are a number of key notes regarding the Lightning's lineup which are still up in the air at the time of writing. As noted, Vasilevskiy has started seven straight games and will likely rest in one of the Lightning's remaining games on this road trip. Cirelli has been a difference-maker this season, and is considered day-to-day.

My personal lean is with the Flames at +130, and if you are interested in backing them the time to do so is now, as if we do see Johansson confirmed the number to bet Calgary will likely come down considerably. Same goes for bets on the total; if you like the over it makes sense to bet it now, and if you're looking to back the under wait until final goaltender confirmations.

Regardless of who is in goal, there looks to be value backing Point to record over 2.5 shots on goal at +105. He's in the midst of another truly dominant season, and continues to get plenty of chances on goal playing alongside Kucherov. He's gone over 2.5 shots on goal in seven of the last 10 games, and it makes sense to expect another strong performance from the Calgary native in this match-up.

Best bet: Brayden Point Over 2.5 Shots on Goal +105 (Sports Interaction, Play to -105)

NHL odds, betting preview (Dec. 12): Lightning vs. Flames predictions

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