Blues vs Flames Betting (Dec. 16): Can Calgary Snap Its Losing Ways at Home?

The 2022-23 NHL season continues on Thursday, Dec. 15 with four more matchups, including a clash between the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. Wins have been hard to come by for both of these teams, meaning tonight’s Blues vs Flames tilt presents a great opportunity for both sides to get back on the right path.

.@BParkerTV and Cory Sarich wrap tonight's 4-3 shootout setback in Game Over.@McDonaldsCanada | https://t.co/wei5ug38sX pic.twitter.com/Tw9HkjCaSY

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 15, 2022

On one hand, the Blues are just 4-7-1 in their last 12 games. On the other, things could be turning around soon after winning each of their last two outings, including a 4-3 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Nevertheless, this is the second contest on St. Louis’ five-game road trip, so a strong performance is needed tonight.

Meanwhile, the Flames have lost four consecutive games, including the last three in either overtime or a shootout. They most recently lost 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout on Wednesday, leaving fans frustrated with how the Flames have been performing lately.

As with most notable matchups, there are plenty of betting opportunities in this Blues vs Flames tilt. Here’s a look at BetOnline Sportsbook’s latest odds for the games, as well as a prediction and the best bet to make, courtesy of Betting News.

St. Louis Blues vs Calgary Flames Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: St. Louis Blues (14-15-1, 8-8-0 Away) vs. Calgary Flames (13-11-6, 10-5-2 Home)
• Venue & Location: Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary, Alberta)
• Date: Friday, Dec. 16, 2022
• Game Time: 9 p.m. Eastern Time
• Blue vs Flames Info: ESPN+

Blues vs Flames Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Friday, Dec. 16 at 8:08 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• St. Louis Blues +1.5 (-140)
• Calgary Flames -1.5 (+114)

Over/Under

• Over 6 Goals (-115)
• Under 6 Goals (-105)

Moneyline

• St. Louis Blues +188
• Calgary Flames -230

St. Louis Blues vs Calgary Flames Betting Trends

• St. Louis is 6-1 straight up in its last seven games against Calgary.
• Calgary is 1-4 straight up in its last five home games against St. Louis.
• The total has hit the over in each of St. Louis’ last eight road games.
• The total has hit the over in seven of Calgary’s last 10 home games against St. Louis.

St. Louis Blues vs Calgary Flames Prediction and Picks

Blues vs Flames Prediction: Flames 4, Blues 3

Blues vs Flames Picks: Flames ML (Best Value: -230 at BetOnline) & Over 6 Goals (Best Value: -115 at BetOnline)

If the Flames are going to win tonight, they need to break out of their slump against the Blues. Calgary has lost six of its last seven meetings with St. Louis, getting outscored 27-19 over that stretch.

What’s even worse is that the Flames have even struggled to handle their upcoming opponents at home. The Blues are 4-1-0 in their last five trips to the Scotiabank Saddledome, winning their last outing there (April 2022) by a final score of 6-4, highlighted by a three-point effort by defenseman Justin Faulk.

The good news for Flames fans is that their team has won six of its last eight home games, whereas the Blues have lost four of their last seven on the road and should be extra tired due to their facing the Oilers less than 24 hours ago.

Calgary will also likely get to face backup goaltender Thomas Greiss after Jordan Binnington started on Friday. Fortunately, Greiss’ season stats aren’t impressive, going 3-4-0 in nine appearances with a 3.69 goals-against average (GAA) and .899 save percentage (SV%). What’s even better is that he’s lost five of his seven all-time starts against the Flames with each of those losses happening in Calgary.

Meanwhile, there’s a good possibility that Daniel Vladar will start between the pipes for the Flames. His team is hoping that he can continue his recent solid playing, having gone 4-0-1 in his last five starts with a .903 SV% and 2.80 GAA. Those stats could’ve been much better had he not allowed five goals on 39 shots to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 10, however, time will tell how Vladar bounces back.

The Flames’ power play being 3-of-16 (18.8%) over the last four games is another reason why they lost each of those outings. They should be able to get back on track tonight, though, considering how the Blues own the NHL’s worst penalty killing, entering this game at a 67.1% success rate.

At the end of the day, the Flames should win this one. The Blues are tired and their penalty kill just isn’t good. On top of that, Greiss starting is a matchup that Calgary would love, so names like Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau and Andrew Mangiapane must step up and take advantage of it.

In addition to taking the Flames as the outright winner, I also recommend backing the over on the six-goal total. Seven of the last 10 Blues vs Flames matchups have hit the over and there were more than six goals scored in each of the last four meetings. With how both goalies have played lately, a back-and-forth goal-scoring affair is a real possibility.

Other St. Louis vs Calgary Resources

• Blues vs Flames Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats