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Weekly NHL Betting action sees the Calgary Flames taking on the Vancouver Canucks April 15 at Rogers Arena. Cappers Picks provides free NHL handicapping tips all season long.
Round 1 of the NHL playoffs kicks off for the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks Wednesday night in Vancouver.
Daily NHL Hockey Odds
Calgary (45-30-4-3) at Vancouver (48-29-3-2)
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Broadcast: CBC, USA, TVA
Calgary Flames +1½ -245 +131 Ov 5 -121
Vancouver Canucks -1½ +205 -145 Un 5 +110
Two of the more surprising teams in the NHL will do battle in what is expected to be a hotly contested series with one reaching the second round.
Who could have predicted that either of these teams would win a first round series? It will be a battle of the never-say-die but inexperienced Flames against the solid, veteran Canucks.
So who wins the all-important Game 1 of this intriguing series? Let’s take a look.
The Calgary Flames were the team that just wouldn’t go away this season and Wednesday night they get to finally see the fruit from all of their season-long labors. A long season of up-tempo, physical hockey didn’t seem to faze the Flames who won five of six games down the stretch before losing their final game in Winnipeg.
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Calgary makes its first playoff appearance since 2009 with a young and experienced team. How they react on the big stage in Game 1 should set the tone for the rest of the series.
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Calgary somehow finished inside the top 10 in scoring this season with a cast of youth and surprisingly good veteran contributions. The line of Jiri Hudler, Sean Monohan and Johnny Gaudreau were one of the best lines in hockey in the final couple months of the season. Those three will be absolutely essential in the playoffs – it seems that the formula for beating the Flames is simple – slow down the top line and make the rest of a slightly underwhelming offensive corp. beat you.
Defensively the season was thought to be lost after captain Mark Giordano was lost for the season but the Flames rallied and actually did a good job of keeping the puck out of the back of their net. Jonas Hiller will get the start between the pipes – he was 3-0-0 in his last three games of the Regular Season with a 1.01 GAA and .965 save percentage. Hiller could be the difference in Game 1 – he enters with a ton of confidence.
The Vancouver Canucks won their last three games of the Regular season over Los Angeles, Arizona and Edmonton by a combined 12-6 score. They are a confident team with a lot going for them heading into Game 1.
Offensively the Canucks were terrific down the stretch – Radim Vrbata led the way although he scored only one goal in his last six games. Still he had 14 points in his last 12 games, Daniel Sedin has eight points in four games, Alex Edler had six points in two games and Jannik Hansen had two points in his last two games. Alex Burrows was pointless in his last three and Chris Higgins has just one point in his final four games but at the end of the day, the Canucks hold the depth advantage offensively heading into Game 1.
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The starting keeper has yet to be named for the opening game of the series but Eddie Lack seems like the obvious choice. He was 2-0-0 with a 0.48 GAA and .985 save percentage in his last two starts while Ryan Miller struggled in his only start since returning from injury.
NHL Gambling Trends
• CAL are 22-6 in their last 28 vs. Pacific.
• Over is 7-3 in CAL last 10 road games.
• Under is 7-1-1 in VAN last 9 vs. Pacific.
• VAN are 7-1 in their last 8 Wed. games.
• VAN are 11-5 in their last 16 home games.
• CAL are 7-20 in the last 27 meetings in Vancouver.
• CAL are 17-35 in the last 52 meetings.
The playoffs are a totally new experience for most of the Flames. On the flip side, most of the Canucks have a wealth of experience in the postseason. That’s the difference Wednesday night. Opening night jitters will keep the Flames from playing their game – expect Vancouver to get a leg up with a typically balanced attack.
NHL Betting 4* Free Play
Vancouver Canucks -145
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