For the first time ever the Flames will play at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City as they face off against Utah. Both sides enter on respective losing streaks, and will be desperate to get right as they face off versus more manageable competition in this matchup.

I’ll detail the relevant game notes, as well as outline my favourite betting angle below.

The Flames kicked off this two-game road swing with an ugly performance in Vegas, which came down to more than simply the Knights being a better team. There was some poor decision-making prior to a number of the Knights’ better chances, and several missed assignments in the defensive zone.

The Flames were an obvious regression candidate after their 5-0-1 start, but it’s also plain to see that they have gotten away from some of the tendencies that made them surprisingly good early on this season.

This matchup provides Ryan Hruska’s group with a good opportunity to stabilize defensively and try to play more on the front foot. Utah has generated just 25.5 shots per 60 this season, and holds far less offensive depth than the teams that have tormented Calgary during it’s three-game losing streak.

Dustin Wolf has faced 32 or more shots in all four of his starts, but could face a more manageable workload in this matchup. He has been confirmed as the starter, and holds a .924 save % and +0.4 GSAx this season.

Based on today’s morning skate, the Flames look to be making a lot of changes to the lineup for this game. Sam Honzek looks to be drawing back into the mix, and will skate on the third line alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. Hruska looks to have moved Anthony Mantha to the second line, as he aims to spark the inconsistent winger.

Brayden Pachal looks to be moving to the second defensive pairing alongside MacKenzie Weegar, while Daniil Miromanov and Joel Hanley look to be coming out of the lineup in favour of Tyson Barrie and Jake Bean.

Similar to the Flames, Utah came out of the gates in excellent form with a 4-1-1 start to the season, but has fallen into a tough stretch of play since. A key reason why has been the loss of highly underrated defender Sean Durzi, who was quarterbacking the top power-play unit and held an average TOI of 21:28.

Utah’s underlying profile also suggests that it was somewhat of a paper tiger in the early going this season. Through 10 games they hold a 47.51% expected goal share, and have generated just 25.71 shots on goal per 60.

Many of the club’s bigger name forwards have been more or less true to form. Clayton Keller still looks very dangerous, and Dylan Guenther is living up to the pre-season hype that suggested he could be a surprise 30 goal-scorer. Several of the club’s aging veterans such as Alex Kerfoot and Ian Cole have fallen off more than expected, however, and leave some clear holes in the lineup.

After acquiring Olli Maatta last night from the Red Wings, Andre Tourigny looks to be opting to go with 11 forwards and seven defenders in his lineup in this matchup as he attempts to sort out a back-end which has been a significant weakness in recent outings.

The Hockey Club looked like a sneaky playoff contender entering the season, and I certainly didn’t expect to be touting the Flames to best them in the opening month, at least not at a price as short as +105. But Utah’s recent play suggests it is the right bet.

Utah’s blue line has gone from something that could an underrated strength to a significant concern. It has given up a ton of chances this season, and is not generating a lot at the other end of the ice.

The Flames’ current roster still looks more convincing, and they have put together a more impressive body of work overall. Their recent losing skid probably makes things look a little worse than they are; all three losses were against teams at the top of the standings.

At +100 or better, I see value backing the Flames to get right in this matchup.

Wolf holds a 2.74 GAA, and Utah is generating the fourth-fewest chances in the league this season. At +1000, I also see value with a small bet on Utah to be the lowest-scoring team on this slate (would pay out on dead-heat rules if there is a tie).