Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames odds, picks and predictions
The Vancouver Canucks (29-24-11) take on the Calgary Flames (30-23-10) Wednesday. Puck drop from Scotiabank Saddledome is set for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NHL odds around the Canucks vs. Flames odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Flames lead 2-1
This game has major playoff implications as Calgary sits in the final Wild Card spot in the West, just 1 point ahead of Vancouver and the St. Louis Blues. This is the last head-to-head meeting between the clubs.
The Canucks fell 4-2 to the Montreal Canadiens at home Tuesday night. They got down 3-0 after 2 periods but got within 1 midway through the third after C Elias Pettersson drilled his 13th goal of the season. They couldn't make it all the way back, though. Vancouver has lost 2 straight and is just 4-6-0 in the last 10.
The Flames beat Montreal 1-0 Saturday in their first home game since Feb. 23. They went 2-2-2 on the 6-game road trip. LW Joel Farabee had the lone tally, his 11th, in the shutout over the Habs. The Flames are an interesting bunch as they're really not great at anything. They just find ways to get it done. They're last in goals at 2.56 per game, 18th on the power play at 21.2% and 26th on the PK at 74.9%.
Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team's out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!
Canucks at Flames odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:55 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML) : Canucks +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Flames -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
: Canucks +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Flames -145 (bet $145 to win $100) Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS) : Canucks +1.5 (-225) | Flames -1.5 (+185)
: Canucks +1.5 (-225) | Flames -1.5 (+185) Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Canucks at Flames projected goalies
Arturs Silovs (1-6-1, 3.86 GAA, .858 SV%) vs. Dustin Wolf (22-12-4, 2.52 GAA, .915 SV%, 3 SO)
Silovs has certainly lost the magic he captured in the playoffs last year, as 5 of his 8 starts this season have rendered 4+ goals against. His last start came Feb. 27 in a 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks as he allowed 4 goals on 24 shots. He faced Calgary in his first start of the season Oct. 9 and allowed 6 goals on 26 shots.
Wolf stopped all 26 shots Montreal fired at him Saturday. He is 2-0-1 with a 1.64 GAA and .943 SV% in 3 starts this month. He faced Vancouver on New Year's Eve and beat it 3-1, stopping 23 of 24 shots fired his way.
Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now!
Canucks at Flames picks and predictions
Prediction
Flames 2, Canucks 1
This will be a playoff atmosphere, and I could see the extra frame being necessary. D Quinn Hughes (lower body), one of the best defensemen in the sport, hasn't played since March 1. However, there's a good chance he returns for this one. That will be a boost, but I just can't see the Canucks getting the necessary goaltending on the back-to-back.
Take the FLAMES -145.
PASS.
There's no play here as the Canucks are far too expensive at -225 on the PL.
This is more a fade on the offenses than faith in the goalies. The Canucks are 3-7 O/U in their last 10, and the Flames are 1-8-1. Three of the last 4 meetings saw fewer than 6 goals.
I'll take the UNDER 5.5 (-120).
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
31 minutes ago
- New York Times
Sublime Stanley Cup Final rolls on tonight. Plus: PWHL expansion draft anticipation
Red Light newsletter 🏒 | This is The Athletic's hockey newsletter. Sign up here to receive Red Light directly in your inbox. Good morning to everyone except front offices that say 'as per team policy, terms were not disclosed' when they make transactions. It's game night, let's get into it. … you didn't miss any hockey. The weekend delivered our first three-day break of the Stanley Cup Final. We'll get another before Game 4, and again before Games 6 and 7 (if necessary). Weirdly, the only two-day break left on the schedule is between Games 4 and 5, which have travel in between. Edmonton is close to Sunrise, right? Advertisement The good news is that the extra night off gave everyone one more day to get rested and healthy for a crucial Game 3 … The series shifts to Florida, tied 1-1 after the Panthers' Friday night win. We've got a lot of moving parts here. In fact, let's break out the bullet points: Game 3 is tonight at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV, Max and Sportsnet. I think it has been. If we're just going based on the first two games of every Stanley Cup Final since 2005, this one is at least on the podium, if not taking home gold. That's partly because it's been a legitimately great start, with a pair of overtime games, plenty of offense and multiple highlight-reel plays. It's also because the bar is kind of low. In fact, this is only the sixth time in the cap era that a Stanley Cup Final has been split 1-1 after two games. The other 14 series all saw a team take a 2-0 lead. Of the five previous splits, three — the finals in 2015, 2018 and 2020 — didn't feature any overtime at all. We did get one overtime in 2019, when the Bruins won Game 1 in regulation only to have the Blues come back with an OT win to square the series in Game 2. But with all due respect to those Gloria-infused days, the only final whose start really compares to this one was in 2013, when the Blackhawks and Bruins served up a triple-OT classic in the opener that was won by Chicago, followed by a Boston win midway through the first extra period in Game 2. That series ended up being one of the better finals in recent memory, featuring an additional overtime in Game 4 and the 17-seconds game in Game 6. It didn't go seven games, though, which I think we can all agree would be unacceptable for the Oilers and Panthers. For now, at least, we can't complain. If this hasn't been the best two-game start to a final in the cap era, it's been awfully close. 🚨 The only thing weirder than an NHL goalie is a third-string NHL goalie. Peter Baugh had a fun piece on some of the guys who held that role for championship teams, and the weird thing that connects many of them during the Cup handoff. 🐀 Speaking of weird connections, Michael Russo found one between veterans Corey Perry and Brad Marchand. Advertisement 🥅 We can enjoy the final, but let's not forget how we got here. I've got you covered with a ranking of the 14 series that led us to this one. 👶 The NHL Scouting Combine has wrapped up, meaning your favorite team now has a good idea of which player it will claim to be shocked was still available when their pick came up. Eric Stephens has more on the week and how much the draft process has changed over the years. 🍁 And finally, be sure to check out this slick YouTube video in which we try to explain the Canadian Cup drought. Come for the high-quality content, stay for the nagging feeling that you didn't think my voice would sound like that. It's expansion draft night in the PWHL. We covered some of the basics in the last edition of Red Light, but a lot has changed since then. New homes for superstars such as Sarah Nurse and Hilary Knight are taking the spotlight, but you can track all of the moves right here. With the draft set for 8:30 p.m. ET tonight (we'll have live coverage), I asked Hailey Salvian to check in with an update. Sean: As someone who follows the PWHL but doesn't know all the ins and outs, the last few days have seemed stunning to me. Are league insiders surprised too, or is this more a case where casual fans just have to play some catch up? Hailey: Honestly, the whole process has been pretty wild. When you see the rules — specifically that teams could initially protect only three players — you know that stars are going to be on the move. But its one thing to understand that and another to see players like Knight, Nurse and Alex Carpenter left unprotected by their respective teams. Not protecting Carpenter, who ranks third all-time in league scoring, might have been the only real surprise to me over the last few weeks. Because as baffling as it is to leave Nurse or Knight unprotected, you can at least understand why teams might have made those decisions. Advertisement In terms of who signed and where, nothing was too surprising. I figured the general managers in Seattle and Vancouver would want to use their five signing slots on top players who were left unprotected, rather than negotiate with free agents who might still be available later this summer. And for the unprotected players, its reasonable that they'd want to dictate where they go, rather than take their chances in the draft. If you're a casual fan who feels overwhelmed, don't feel bad. It's been a whirlwind for literally everyone involved, from die-hard fans to players, agents and your local Athletic PWHL writers. Sean: What should we be expecting tonight, and are there any realistic options that could add to the surprise factor? Hailey: Without knowing the draft order (which the league won't be revealing until the broadcast starts) it's hard to project exactly what might happen. My safe assumption is that once the top remaining players (like 2024 fourth-overall pick Hannah Bilka) are off the board, both general managers will look for the best players at the best price — rather than just grabbing the top scorers or most recognizable names. Vancouver and Seattle will need to keep the salary cap — which will go up to $1.34 million next season — in mind and won't want to spend too much on 12 players out of what will need to be a 23-player roster. Each GM would do well to keep some money earmarked for free agency, where top players such as Natalie Spooner, Tereza Vanišová and Jesse Compher might be available, and the entry draft, with some top young talent incoming. There will surely be some off-the-board picks, but I don't expect any extra fireworks from side trades or truly wild selections. Sean: When the dust finally settles, are Vancouver and Seattle going to be contenders right away? Hailey: It's hard to imagine Seattle and Vancouver coming out of the draft without having legit playoff-caliber rosters. If either team is bad next season, that would likely be due to user error. The rules have been set up for these teams to contend on day one. Last time around, I wondered about the USA/Canada divide in this Stanley Cup Final, especially with everything that's happened between the two nations both on and off the ice in recent months. I wasn't sure whether that would impact allegiances, and so I asked Red Light readers what they thought. Well, the results are in, and … well, there's a bit of patriotism playing out, but you have to squint to see it. Up north, we're all-but-unanimous in backing the Oilers, and 60 percent of the Edmonton bandwagon says it's because they're Canadian. That's a majority, but not as much as you might expect given how much the 'bring Stanley home' message has been beaten into the ground up here. As for you Americans, you barely seem to have noticed the cross-country stakes at all. What you have noticed is that the Panthers are a bunch of dirtbags, with the overwhelming majority of you saying that you're rooting for Edmonton. I wasn't expecting that, but I can only assume it's because your entire country has fallen in love with Oilers legend Dwayne Jetski. After a string of admittedly tough questions, today I gave you one where the answer was staring you in the face. The record for most final appearances without a Conn Smythe win is held by the Florida Panthers, who are currently in the final for the fourth time in history but have never had a player win playoff MVP honors. (They lost the final in 1996 and 2023 and then won the Cup last year, but Connor McDavid was the rare case of a player on the losing team getting the Conn Smythe.) Advertisement Of course, we don't know who'll win the MVP honors this year — Sam Bennett has a sneaky good chance if the Panthers win — so maybe you don't want to count the 2025 final just yet. If that's the case, it knocks the Panthers down to three appearances. That would tie them with the Vancouver Canucks, who went to the final in 1982, 1994 and 2011, only to see their opponent skate off with the Cup — and the Conn Smythe. 📫 Love Red Light? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
MLB Could Limit Playoff Viewers With Apple TV+ Deal: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Major League Baseball is enjoying strong growth this year, though a major aspect of the near future is in doubt. After ESPN announced it would be ending its partnership with MLB three years early, questions about how commissioner Rob Manfred would make up that revenue going forward have risen. "Major League Baseball is off to its best start in years," according to Lucas Shaw and Hannah Miller of Bloomberg, who reported that ESPN, TBS and Fox are all enjoying double-digit viewership lifts this year, while game attendance hit a seven-year high in 2024. "And yet, the league is scrambling to find a buyer for a major TV package that includes 30 regular season games, the Home Run Derby, the Wild Card playoff round and up to 10 spring training games." Without ESPN, MLB is left to scramble for a new partner to broadcast some of its most popular events, particularly the wild card playoff round. And it might have found that new partner in a broadcaster whose reach is not nearly as wide as ESPN's. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Rob Manfred, Commissioner, Major League Baseball speaks onstage during the Growing the Game panel, at the Fortune Global Forum on November 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo... NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Rob Manfred, Commissioner, Major League Baseball speaks onstage during the Growing the Game panel, at the Fortune Global Forum on November 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Fortune Media) More Countess/Getty "Major League Baseball is close to announcing a new TV deal for the package that ESPN opted out of from 2026-2028, and a source indicates that Apple TV+ is currently the highest bidder," per Boston Red Sox reporter Sean McAdam of MassLive. "Baseball is, like most sports, out to make a deal for the most revenue possible, but if MLB puts an entire round of its postseason on a streaming service with just 45 million subscribers, it deserves all the grief it's going to catch." MLB and Apple TV+ recently partnered on a "Friday Night Baseball" package that gives the streamer exclusive rights to high-profile matchups each week. Those broadcasts can frustrate fans of the involved teams as they require a subscription to watch. But as Manfred seeks a profitable replacement for ESPN, he seems likely to move the package to whichever partner makes the highest offer. Soon, that could mean some of baseball fans' favorite moments will require a new subscription. More MLB: Phillies 'Bench Bat' Becomes One of Team's Best Pitchers Amid Downward Skid
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Which Edmonton Oilers players have increased their value for next season?
The Edmonton Oilers' 'heart of the order' is clearly established and is unlikely to change next season. The group of 'inner circle' roster players begins with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, then extends to a veteran roster deep in quality and no-movement clauses. From the trade deadline (March 7) through the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, several players have increased their chances of staying on the Edmonton roster for the 2025-26 campaign. Advertisement Oilers general manager Stan Bowman signed John Klingberg a couple of months before the trade deadline. The early days of his time with the team amounted to an extended training camp. On March 5, I wrote, 'Klingberg could be a real asset if he had a full training camp as a healthy player. Klingberg defensively looks out of position at times and isn't fast enough to recover in real time if he makes the wrong read. For a team that has defensive issues elsewhere, that kind of coverage is a problem.' Fast forward to today, and Klingberg is having great success in the postseason. Paired with Jake Walman, the two men have become a key component of Edmonton's breakout offence. Here's a look at Klingberg's progression, from the early days of his season through the playoff run: All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick Klingberg's on-ice goal share in the postseason is pristine. The expected share suggests he has been a bit lucky and regression should occur, but the season is running out, and all indicators are positive for Walman-Klingberg. One of the key factors in Klingberg's game is outlet passing. He delivers breathtaking passes tape-to-tape across 100 feet routinely. He's always had that ability. Now the rest of his game has caught up. Klingberg has earned a contract. Power forward Evander Kane is signed for next season, but for much of the winter was rumoured to be a trade exit at the deadline. His modified no-trade clause allowed an out for an organization that has stacked and racked no-movement deals across the NHL roster. Kane's meandering medical issues took the entire season to solve, and his possible impact on the playoffs was unknown. Since his first game of the postseason, he has been exceptional. Kane has delivered across the board, with offence, hard hits and solid passing. Big men who can play the enforcer role are often death to offensive sorties, but the play hasn't died on Kane's stick this playoff run. His performance in several playoff springs with the Oilers shows a massive range in results. When he's healthy, Kane is money. All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick The Oilers' patience with Kane's recovery and ensuring full health is one of the keys to the current run. His unique qualities (the population of Kane-line players in the NHL is one) make him impossible to replace if he's healthy. He has earned the final season of his Oilers contract with a wonderful spring performance. Advertisement After turning 40 in May, it would be easy for Oilers management to walk veteran winger Corey Perry this summer. He has many miles on him, the foot speed is not a plus and he is playing less than 12 minutes per game at five-on-five. On the other hand, he still has impressive offensive instincts and has been key in setting up some of the most important goals scored by Edmonton in these playoffs. When Zach Hyman was injured, it was Perry who elevated his game and helped the No. 1 line perform at a high level. There are arguments to be made in favour of a younger man (like Kasperi Kapanen) taking over for Perry. He will hit a wall at some point, and Father Time is undefeated. Signing Perry for another year is an easy choice for Bowman, though. The most controversial name on the list is probably Trent Frederic. The hype (rugged winger with skill) surrounding his arrival in a deadline deal from the Boston Bruins was followed immediately by news he would not be available for game action until late in the regular season. Looking at Frederic's performance for the Oilers, some fans are wondering where the edgy play has gone. The injury Frederic suffered (high-ankle sprain) has robbed him of some of that. On the other hand, his playoff stats for the Oilers this year are a close comparison to the totals he delivered for the Bruins one year ago: All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick Elliotte Friedman reported on the weekend that the Oilers and Frederic's agent are negotiating a long-term deal that could be consummated after the final. Frederic is a perfect fit for the Oilers, as he can play a physical game while also providing the team with strong two-way acumen. Depending on the price and term, signing Frederic could make the 2025 deadline (acquiring Frederic and Walman) a key team-building moment. Advertisement All of the extension and trade talk will subside for the week, as the final takes centre stage. Win or lose, Bowman has some difficult decisions to make. The cap will make signing long-term deals at $5 million or more difficult, but the organization has successfully coaxed several veterans into low-cap or short-term deals with a championship run as the major selling point. The 2025 playoffs have shown the roster needs players like Kane, Frederic, Perry and Klingberg. Strong outlet passing, punishing forwards who can take a pass, win a board battle and score goals are vital. Each name above brings a combination of skill and guile to the game. The Oilers are three wins from the Stanley Cup. No matter the outcome, the desire to win next spring will inform all decisions of summer. These four men have earned the opportunity to return for another season in Edmonton. (Photo of Evander Kane: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)
