The Calgary Flames look to close out the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of their 1st-round Western Conference playoff series Friday. The Flames lead the series 3-2. Puck drop from American Airlines Center is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we look at the Flames vs. Stars odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
Calgary exploded in the third period in Game 5, rallying from a 1-goal deficit, for a 3-1 victory. Calgary outshot Dallas 16-5 in the period and put the Stars on the brink of elimination. The Flames have scored 6 third-period goals in the last 2 games. After a 104-point regular season, LW Matthew Tkachuk has mostly been shut out in this series. He has no goals, 3 assists, 14 penalty minutes and just 9 shots on goal.
Stars dynamic LW Jason Robertson lit the lamp for the first time this series in Game 5. The 22-year-old, who led Dallas with 41 goals in the regular season, has mostly been a no-show vs. the Flames. The Stars will need him to have a good Game 6 to give them a chance.
Flames at Stars odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:39 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Flames -170 (bet $170 to win $100) | Stars +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread (ATS): Flames -1.5 (+140) | Stars +1.5 (-180)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +112 | U: -140)
Flames at Stars projected goalies
Jacob Markstrom (37-15-9, 2.22 GAA, .922 SV%, 9 SO – regular season) vs. Jake Oettinger (30-15-1, 2.53 GAA, .914 SV%, 1 SO – regular season)
Markstrom continued his stellar play between the pipes with 20 saves on 21 shots in Game 5. He has allowed 6 goals on 125 shots in the series for a 1.21 GAA and a .952 SV%. According to MoneyPuck.com, he is third with 4.3 goals saved above expected in the playoffs.
Markstrom has been great, and Oettinger has been nearly as stellar. The Stars netminder stopped 29 of 31 shots in Game 5. He has started to crack a bit as he allowed 5 goals in the last 2 games – where Markstrom allowed just 2. As far as analytics go, Oettinger is the second-best goalie in the playoffs with a whopping 6.6 goals saved above expected.
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Flames at Stars picks and predictions
Prediction
Flames 3, Stars 2
Money line
We took a chance on Dallas’ money line last time out, and it didn’t pay off. However, I cashed out at a profit in the 2nd period with the Stars leading 1-0. It’s possible they hang in there and force a Game 7, but I don’t have a great feel for that with the way they have folded at the end of games.
The Stars seem cooked. Go lightly because it’s expensive, but LEAN FLAMES (-170).
Against the spread
Dallas led Game 5 for 2 periods and was within a goal in Game 4 for 48 minutes. Dallas +1.5 (-180) has a good chance to cash, but it’s too expensive.
PASS and let’s try to nail the O/U again.
Over/Under
The Under has cashed in 4 of 5 in this series, which has seen just 18 total goals. There is some hesitance on this wager because the Under line has dropped so much.
But let’s roll with the UNDER 5.5 (-140).
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