Calgary vs Dallas series prediction: The Flames will take revenge on the Stars for their last playoff meeting

The last time Calgary and Dallas played each other in the playoffs was in 2020 when the Stars won the series 4-2. Will the Canadian team be able to get revenge? We predict that the Flames will be stronger this time!

The last serious success Calgary managed to achieve in the far 2003/04 season was when they reached the Stanley Cup final, but there they lost to Tampa Bay 3-4. Since then, they have made only eight playoff appearances in 16 years and only made it past the first round once. It had seemed that the current squad would no longer be able to compete for high places, but the appointment of Darryl Sutter as head coach saved the situation, so now the Flames are ready to fight for the trophy.

Calgary started last year's regular-season without much fanfare, but they gradually picked up the pace. The Flames had a particularly strong run at the end of the 'smooth' part of the season when they scored points in 12 of the last 14 games. Their bright run helped the Red and Yellow climb to third place in the Western Conference standings. The main thing is that the Canadian club's leaders finally remembered that they know how to play hockey, so they'll be very dangerous in the playoffs.

Dallas are the finalist of the 2019/20 season, which then sensationally reached the main playoff clash but lost to Tampa Bay in the series, 2-4. Although the core of that team was retained, the following year, the Stars managed to fly past the playoffs altogether. Everything hinted at a need for a personnel change, but nothing happened. Nevertheless, Rick Bowness's team had a decent regular season.

Dallas have been teetering on the edge of the top eight for most of the season, but the experienced team understood perfectly when they had to rebuild to reach the playoffs. In their last four regular-season games, the Texans scored three wins, including a 3-2 win over in-state rival Vegas. That game was key, as the Stars moved into the playoffs from seventh place in the Western Conference.

In the history of the NHL playoffs, there have been two head-to-head encounters between the teams. The first took place back in the days when the Black and Green were still based in Minnesota, namely in 1981, and then the Stars were stronger in the series - 4-2. The rivals played again in the Stanley Cup relatively recently, in 2020, but even then, the Texas team was stronger - 4-2.

Calgary and Dallas made serious progress in the last year, as they did not participate in the last Stanley Cup, finishing outside the cup eight in the West, and now they managed to break into the playoffs. The impression from the regular season was that the Flames were playing with plenty of room to spare. The Red and Yellow leaders are younger, more active, more aggressive and, while the Stars, despite their tremendous experience, are unlikely to outplay and outwork the younger, more aggressive Canadians. As a result, a bet on Calgary's victory in the series with a handicap (-1.5) for 1.64 is in order.

Calgary managed to perform well in the last regular season, as Darryl Sutter was able to work productively with the defense of the Flames. In 82 meetings, the Red and Yellow allowed only 206 shots on goal (2.51 average per game), which is a very respectable mark - third-best in the league. In the meantime, Dallas don't have the most potent attack, which managed just 233 goals (2.84 goals per game average) during the regular season - 21st place in the NHL. Therefore, the Canadians' defense should be able to contain the Stars, and we would expect that Dallas's individual total will be under 16.5 pucks.

Special attention should be paid not only to the teams' defense, but also to their goalkeepers. The Calgary goaltending tandem of Jacob Markström and Daniel Vladar brought the Flames 11 clean sheets, which is incredibly high. Yes, Dallas' Scott Wedgewood and Jake Oettinger have only tallied once each, but the Stars have had a serious turnover in their final defensive line, and that should pick up by the playoffs. We predict Tota Over 0.5 clean sheets in the confrontation in such a state of affairs.

TelecomAsia Sport is looking for horse racing tipsters. Contact jobs@telecomasia.net for more information.