Calgary vs Dallas: The Flames will be closer to success

On April 22, 2022, Calgary will host Dallas in the Canadian province of Alberta in another NHL regular-season game.

Calgary have been underperforming in recent years, but in the current regular championship, the Flames finally managed to make tangible progress. At the end of last season, Darryl Sutter began to improve the team's game, but he arrived in the province of Alberta too late, but now his team seriously claims to solve big problems. In the last nine meetings, the Red and Yellow have only once left the ice without a point after losing to Vegas 1-6, once they lost to Nashville in overtime 2-3, and in the remaining seven games they won without fail. They are now in second place in the Western Conference standings.

Dallas played in the Stanley Cup final in 2020, but after that, the Texas club had a tough time. Last season they flew past the playoffs altogether, and now they continue their fierce battle for the right to participate in cup battles. Towards the end of March, it looked as though the Stars would be able to meet that challenge, as they put in a strong performance, winning six out of seven games, but difficulties resurfaced. In the next ten games, Rick Bowness's men won only four and lost six, dropping them to eighth in the Western Conference standings.

• Calgary managed to win seven of the last nine matches;
• Dallas have lost three of its last four games;
• Calgary lost four of the last six home games;
• In both of Dallas' head-to-head meetings with Calgary, the host side has lost.

Calgary in the current regular championship performs much more stable and powerful than Dallas. This is especially evident at the end of the "smooth" part of the season, when the Flames continue to perform well, winning seven of the last nine games, while the Stars in the previous ten battles lost six times. And in the upcoming battle, Darryl Sutter's wards are the favorites, although the tournament motivation is higher for the Texas squad. You can bet on Calgary to win for 1.75.

It is unlikely that Calgary and Dallas will face each other in the upcoming encounter, and we should expect a high level of scoring activity. The Flames are playing great defensively in the current regular season, conceding only 193 pucks (2.51 average per game) in 77 games, by a wide margin the best mark in the Western Conference. The Stars also have a pretty good defense, conceding just 232 pucks (3.01 average per game) over a similar distance. What's more, both squads continue to meet their tournament goals, so we'd say Total Under 5.5 pucks for 2.05 is a good bet.

Andrew Mangiapane is having a very strong season. He has never before scored more than 32 points, but he is now a key player for Calgary, who has recorded 53 points (32 goals + 19 assists) so far this season. His progress was mainly linked to the fact he played effectively in the last World Championships in Riga as a member of the Canadian national team where he finally managed to show his leadership qualities. The 26-year-old hockey player completed a double in goal against Nashville the day before, which confirms his excellent form, so it is worth looking at the bet on Andrew Mangiapane's Total Over 0.5 point for 1.80.