The Vancouver Canucks will visit the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, on 14th December 2022.
The two teams played their last match in September in the pre-season round, with the Calgary Flames winning by 4:0. In the last two years, the two teams have played 18 matches against each other, with the Calgary Flames winning 13 times.
Let’s look at the performance of the two teams in the season so far to have an idea of what to expect from the upcoming game.
Calgary Flames Statistics
The Calgary Flames are in 9th place in the Western Conference, having won 13 games out of the 29 matches played so far in the season. The team lost the last three matches in a row, with its last match against the Montreal Canadiens with a score of 1:2.
The Flames’ offence is in 22nd place in the NHL with a scoring average of 2.97 goals per game, with 14 goals scored in the last five games. The team had a high scoring average previously, which was unfortunately brought down by back-to-back losses. Elias Lindholm leads the score table with 23 points, 10 goals, and 14 assists. Nazem Kadri has, however, scored the most goals in the season with a tally of 11 goals. The team’s overall offence needs to step up and pick up the pace again to break the losing streak.
The Flames’ defence is also struggling with a conceding average of 3.07 goals per game, putting them in 15th place in the league. MacKenzie Weegar and Nikita Zadorov have blocked 72 shots and raked 3.4 defensive points combined; however, the rest of the team is struggling. The team’s goaltender Jacob Markstrom has a save percentage of 0.891 and saved 2.93 goals on average against 467 shots.
Vancouver Canucks Statistics
The Vancouver Canucks are merely one place behind Calgary in the Western Conference in 10th place. The team has played 28 games in the season and won 12 so far. The Canucks had won three matches in a row but lost against the Minnesota Wild by 0:3, ending their winning streak. Interestingly, the three earlier wins had come for the Canucks in overtime.
The Vancouver Canucks have the 9th best offence in the NHL, scoring an average of 3.46 goals per game. Elias Pettersson leads the points table with 34 points and 13 goals to his credit. However, the lead scorer for the team is Bo Horvat, with 20 goals. The team is the 7th best in terms of power play percentage, scoring 27.3%.
While the Canucks offence has been impressive, their defence has struggled, and that is the major reason why the team has lost more games despite a decent scoring average. It is in 30th place in the league with a score of 3.86 goals surrendered per game.
Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks Prediction
It is expected to be a close game between the Canucks and Flames. The Calgary Flames will strive to break their losing streak, take advantage of the home turf and win this one. The Flames have won 4 out of the last 5 matches between the two teams and have a better record for the past two years’ head-to-head count.
Vancouver has a stronger offence, but the defence has let the team down for most of the season. If Calgary’s offence delivers for the team against a weaker defence, it has better prospects of continuing its winning streak against the Canucks.