Flames Can Burn Out Kings Tonight

Kings vs. Flames, 9:00 ET

Sometimes you're wrong, and sometimes you're dead wrong. Yesterday would be in the latter category for me. I took the Kraken to beat the Wild and it was the completely wrong side of the aisle. The Wild played a great game and their goalie was unstoppable. Alas, that was yesterday, and we have a new opportunity to try and win today. Let's get into it.

The Los Angeles Kings are playing very good hockey this season with a 43-20-10 record on the season. If you look at actual wins and losses (including the overtime losses here) on the road, they are just 18-17. This is a good opportunity to try and beat the Kings. The Kings have been playing very good hockey lately, but that has come at home where they won five of seven games during their homestand. Both of their losses also game during shootouts, so they were either winning or in every game. In fact, since the start of March they are 9-2 over their past 11 games. Offensively they are really clicking right now with 25 goals over their past five games. Over that same timeframe, they have allowed just 13 goals. Six of those goals were allowed in their most recent game against the Blues. They did just play the Flames on the 20th and they destroyed them. In that game the Kings won 8-2 and jumped out to a four-goal advantage in the first period.

I think that the Flames would want to get some revenge against the Kings for the beatdown that Los Angeles laid on them a little over a week ago. Calgary is just 2-3 over their past five games, but they are 2-1 over their past three games and they were solid in their first home game against the Golden Knights even though they lost. The only issue that I have with the Flames tonight is that Jacob Markstrom is an average goalie at best. He is 20-20-10 on the season and has allowed almost three goals per game on average. He was in the net in the last game against the Kings and allowed six of those eight goals. He also allowed five goals in the only win the Flames have over the Kings this season. Is it possible that the Kings have Markstrom's number? I don't know for sure, but I don't think he's going to allow another five or six goals tonight.

I don't like that the Kings are traveling for this game and that the Flames probably need this more than Los Angeles. I don't think there is much of a question about which team is the better team - it is the Kings. But, tonight, I'm going to back the Flames to win this one. I'm taking Calgary at -125 tonight.

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