Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Monday, November 29 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Game Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: Sportsnet One (SN1), TVA Sports, AT&T SportsNet Pit
Between November 14 and November 27, the Calgary Flames went on a 5-2 run and improved the team’s record to 12-4-5, which put the club in second place in the Pacific Division. During that stretch, the Flames outscored their opponents 26-10. Calgary is coming off a 4-2 loss on Saturday to the Winnipeg Jets.
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a rough start to their season. The team was 5-6-4 and on a three-game losing skid when they suited up to face the Montreal Canadiens on November 18. Pittsburgh beat Montreal 6-0 and won their next four games. That five-game stretch saw the Penguins run off three shutouts and two other games where the team surrendered one goal in each outing. The Penguins winning ways ended on Saturday when the Canadiens beat them 6-3 with five of Montreal’s goals coming in the third period.
Pittsburgh is in Calgary on Monday night to take on the Flames at the Saddledome.
Before we dig into the Pittsburgh vs. Calgary matchup, check out the best NHL betting sites and our guide to betting on the 2022 Stanley Cup.
Penguins vs. Flames Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins Analysis
Pittsburgh (10-7-4), ranks 12th in scoring in the NHL this season with 61 goals. The team’s power play is operating at 12.9 percent, which puts them ahead of only three teams in PP effectiveness. The Penguins have done fairly well defensively this year, allowing 56 goals against, which puts them in the middle of the pack in the NHL. As for penalty killing, the Pens are by far the best team in the NHL at 90.9 effectiveness.
Pittsburgh has excellent goaltending this year. As a team, the Penguins’ goals-against average is 2.38. The club save percentage is .914
Jake Guentzel leads the Penguins in scoring with 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists).
Evan Rodrigues goes bar down on the power play 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vAdhLWIoSj
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 28, 2021
Tristan Jarry has been phenomenal in goal for the Penguins. He has a 10-4-3 record with a 1.91 GAA and a .936 SV%. No other goaltender comes close to his minutes played at 1036:34. Last season, Jarry played a career-high 39 games.
The Penguins were without Sidney Crosby for most of the early season. Crosby has been active in each of the team’s past eight games and in nine total games this year. He has two goals and four assists to date. Evgeni Malkin remains on the sidelines for the team following off-season knee surgery.
Pittsburgh has the same record (5-5-2) on the road as at home.
Calgary Flames Analysis
The Flames (12-4-5) are seventh in scoring this season with a total of 70 goals. The club’s power play is also ranked at No. 7 with an effectiveness of 24.6 percent. Calgary has allowed the second-fewest goals in the NHL this season. The team, which has 42 goals against on the season, trails only the Carolina Hurricanes in that department. One reason the team has so few goals against is that it is the second-best penalty-killing team in the league at 88.2 percent.
Calgary has the best team SV% in the NHL at .932 and its GAA of 1.76 is also No. 1 in the league.
Cleaning it up. pic.twitter.com/07rURKmvXs
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) November 28, 2021
Johnny Gaudreau, who is the sixth-best scorer in the NHL, is pacing Calgary with 25 points (9 G, 16A). The club’s second-highest scorer, Elias Lindholm, is No. 11 in the NHL with 23 points. Lindholm is also tied for first in the NHL in plus/minus at +18.
Jacob Markstrom is 8-4-4 in net for the Flames with a .937 SV% and a 1.81 GAA. He leads the league with five shutouts this season.
The Flames goal differential of plus 28 is the highest in the NHL this season.
Calgary is 3-2-3 at home this season.
Trends
Calgary shut out Pittsburgh in their only previous meeting this season 4-0.
Pittsburgh is 4-2 in its past six games vs. Calgary.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 in its past five road games.
The Penguins are 7-3 in their past 10 road games against the Flames.
MyTopSportsbook’s Final Pick
Calgary is too effective in offense and defense. The team scores more than most clubs and keeps the puck out of the net better than most teams as well. In short, the Flames play a solid all-around game for 60 minutes and that makes them hard to beat. If Pittsburgh had a prime Crosby and Malkin on the ice for this game, the pick might be different, but they don’t. With that, pick Calgary to win.
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