The Calgary Flames will try to build on a two-game winning streak Friday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks as +135 underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Calgary ended a four-game slide earlier this week, posting a 1-0 shutout victory in a road clash with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The club followed up the following night with a 2-1 home victory over the Arizona Coyotes, lifting its record to 7-10-1 ahead of Friday night’s Blackhawks vs. Flames betting matchup at Scotiabank Saddledome.
The Flames’ win over Arizona ended a three-game losing streak at home, where they have claimed victory in just three of nine contests this season. Calgary has also struggled to generate offense, scoring just seven total goals over its past six games while forcing the puck total UNDER in five of those outings.
But goaltender Chad Johnson has stood tall in the club’s two recent wins, stopping 47 of 48 shots to earn the victory in each.
The Blackhawks have sputtered in the past week, losing two of three to end a seven-game win streak. Chicago is coming off a 4-0 loss in Winnipeg on Tuesday night, ending a three-game tear away from the United Center. But the Blackhawks have won four of their last six over Calgary, holding the Flames to a single goal in four of those contests.
Calgary then kicks off a six-game road trip in Detroit on Sunday, where they have posted wins in six of their past 11 visits, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
On Saturday night, a classic rivalry is rekindled as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs notched their sixth victory in eight games on Thursday, handing the Florida Panthers a 6-1 beating as narrow -120 chalk. Toronto has now scored six times in each of its past three wins.
First, though, the Canadiens will be without ailing forward Alexander Radulov as they try to end a two-game slide in a Friday night road date with the Carolina Hurricanes. Montreal is winless in its last two games on the road, but will return to the Bell Centre on Saturday riding an 11-game win streak against the Maple Leafs.
Elsewhere, the Jets saw a two-game win streak come to an end with a 5-2 loss in Philadelphia as +120 underdogs on the NHL betting lines on Thursday night, and look to end a two-game losing streak against the Bruins when they visit Boston on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, the Panthers travel to Ottawa to face the Senators, who are winless in their past two games at home, while the Edmonton Oilers look for their first win in Dallas since December 2013 as they battle the Stars.
