Jacob Markstrom looks to continue red hot play and keep Flames in tight matchup against the Bruins
The Flames made a splash when trading star centre Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks and getting back Andrei Kuzmenko, who scored 39 goals last season, along with two prospects and draft picks. The move was one people expected for some time, where the Flames now get to allocate more time to rising forward Yegor Sharangovich, who is projected to take over the top line centre spot with Jonathan Huberdeau and new acquisition Kuzmenko on his wings.
They will need to bring the heat against a tough Bruins team that had been on a roll going into the break with wins in seven of their last ten games. They didn’t make any moves like the Flames did because they didn’t need to as they are tied with Vancouver for the most points in the league at 71 with a 31-9-9 record this season. Their strength this season has been their backend as they rank top four in fewest goals against per game with a 2.59 average.
Calgary should have a chance if the Bruins opt to start Linus Ullmark over All-Star Jeremy Swayman as last season’s Vezina’s trophy winner has looked more human than he once did with three or more goals against in ten of his last 13 starts. The Flames may have a chance if they can get to him early and make this an exciting game to watch. If you want to have some added incentive for this one, here are our best bets for tonight’s matchup that should help you get a win.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly.
Pick: Jacob Markstrom over 26.5 saves (-130), Over 6.0 goals (-110)
Jacob Markstrom has stepped up his game as of late with a top five save percentage of .931 and a top eight goals against average of 2.27 since the start of the new year and because of this the over in total goals has become a friend to Flames betters. You would expect the Flames to have more games with fewer goals thanks to their stellar goaltending but they’ve actually started to pour on the offense with six or more goals being scored in seven of their last 13 games.
You can expect a high-scoring game with the Bruins pressuring Markstrom to make a mistake and he’ll be there to keep his team in the game. He averages 28.8 saves per game over his red hot 13 game stretch he has been on and should see the puck go his way with the Bruins averaging 31.5 shots per home game this season.