Predators/Flames
It is warm and balmy for a winter day in Alberta, as the Nashville Predators visit the Calgary Flames in the second meeting this season. A lot of sharp money has been coming in in favor of Nashville after their hard fought 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks last night. The Calgary Flames, on the other hand, are coming off a solid win over the Phoenix Coyotes, and looking to build upon their momentum.
The Predators may be coming into game two of a back to back, but chances are that they are more motivated than exhausted after their solid comeback win last night. Although they are dressing their worst goalie Devan Dubnyk, he has showed his rare flashes of brilliance against the Flames. After being called out by Head Coach Barry Trotz, he will be motivated to play better in an attempt to save his career and improve his chances of becoming a starter again.
More importantly, Nashville is getting a motivational team spark from the recent acquisition of highly touted offensive defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Last night, the blue line looked solid on the powerplay. Shea Weber has been in a bit of a groove himself too.
The Flames may be coming off a win, but let's face it...that was a win that they won with no surprise. Calgary, missing two of their better forwards, are simply not talented enough to compete with most teams, but Phoenix was not one of them. Although the Flames are a gritty team that make it hard for opponents to have their way with them easily, Nashville is a similar team with more experience and identity in playing the same gritty and physical style. This may explain why the Predators have won three straight against the Flames.
On top of that, Calgary has shuffled their lines, moving Joe Colborne from the Center position to the Wing. This means that the team will have to find new chemistry on at least two different lines, and going up against a team that is pretty tough on defense, nothing might go well offensively for Calgary tonight.
Essentially, the line is moving towards Nashville with very good reason. The team has motivation, and every tactical advantage on their side coming into tonight's game. Calgary on the other hand, well let's just say they are second last for a reason. Nashville is not exactly the San Jose Sharks or the Anaheim Ducks, therefore the Flames may not be as mentally driven to beat them as they usually are against the very top teams. At the end of the day, the result is still usually an L for Calgary despite a hard fought game, and Nashville is the type of team that will beat Calgary at their own game.
PLAY: Predators ml -110
It is warm and balmy for a winter day in Alberta, as the Nashville Predators visit the Calgary Flames in the second meeting this season. A lot of sharp money has been coming in in favor of Nashville after their hard fought 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks last night. The Calgary Flames, on the other hand, are coming off a solid win over the Phoenix Coyotes, and looking to build upon their momentum.
The Predators may be coming into game two of a back to back, but chances are that they are more motivated than exhausted after their solid comeback win last night. Although they are dressing their worst goalie Devan Dubnyk, he has showed his rare flashes of brilliance against the Flames. After being called out by Head Coach Barry Trotz, he will be motivated to play better in an attempt to save his career and improve his chances of becoming a starter again.
More importantly, Nashville is getting a motivational team spark from the recent acquisition of highly touted offensive defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Last night, the blue line looked solid on the powerplay. Shea Weber has been in a bit of a groove himself too.
The Flames may be coming off a win, but let's face it...that was a win that they won with no surprise. Calgary, missing two of their better forwards, are simply not talented enough to compete with most teams, but Phoenix was not one of them. Although the Flames are a gritty team that make it hard for opponents to have their way with them easily, Nashville is a similar team with more experience and identity in playing the same gritty and physical style. This may explain why the Predators have won three straight against the Flames.
On top of that, Calgary has shuffled their lines, moving Joe Colborne from the Center position to the Wing. This means that the team will have to find new chemistry on at least two different lines, and going up against a team that is pretty tough on defense, nothing might go well offensively for Calgary tonight.
Essentially, the line is moving towards Nashville with very good reason. The team has motivation, and every tactical advantage on their side coming into tonight's game. Calgary on the other hand, well let's just say they are second last for a reason. Nashville is not exactly the San Jose Sharks or the Anaheim Ducks, therefore the Flames may not be as mentally driven to beat them as they usually are against the very top teams. At the end of the day, the result is still usually an L for Calgary despite a hard fought game, and Nashville is the type of team that will beat Calgary at their own game.
PLAY: Predators ml -110