by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Apr 18, 2022
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: United Center, Chicago, IL
Where to watch: NBC Sports Chicago, Sportsnet
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Flames -310, Blackhawks +245
BetMGM: Flames -300, Blackhawks +230
Caesars: Flames -294, Blackhawks +235
Season record
Flames: 46-20-9
Blackhawks: 25-39-11
Ben Burns has reeled off a strong 29-14-0 run over the last month in the NHL. After an action-packed month of March, April is bound to be just as crazy with the playoff push underway. Do you have the right picks to lead you to glory and get you ready for what should be an exciting push to the end? Catch Ben's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Flames - Blackhawks preview and analysis
If the Calgary Flames annihilated the Arizona Coyotes in a matter of four shots, imagine what they’ll do to the Chicago Blackhawks. That’s what happens when you are playing like a well-oiled machine and, at the very least, are better than the bad teams in front of you right now.
The Flames will try to keep things rolling and inch closer to a Pacific Division title when they visit the struggling Blackhawks on Monday. Calgary, which clinched a playoff spot on Saturday, is coming off a *checks notes* 9-1 victory over the Coyotes that was over after four shots.
No, literally. The Flames scored on their first four shots in a three-minute span in the second period, part of a six-goal frame for one of the top teams in the West.
"I think the mood necessarily hasn't been great the last little bit," Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk said after scoring twice to go with two assists. "We haven't been at our best. We let some games get away from us. You look for little things throughout the season to change momentum for you or stay positive, and that's definitely one way to get back into a good mood going into a game."
Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t the fastest run in Flames history. They scored four straight in a span of 1:21 in 1993. Scoring four goals in just over a minute is only something I can do in NHL 22, let alone in an actual hockey contest where games actually matter.
"It was exciting," leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau said, also after a four-point night of his own. "Not only for us, I think the fans were fired up. We were fired up. It's still only a three-goal game. We needed to keep pushing [and we] kept pushing. A lot of guys contributed tonight. We did a great job."
The Flames need more performances like these to at least keep the foot on the gas heading into the playoffs. No matter who they play in the first round, the pressure will be on Calgary to at least make it to the second round and not fall short like they did four years ago, when they won the Pacific and were taken out in five games by Colorado.
It’ll help to have an easy game under their belt against a Chicago team that has lost nine of 10 and continues to just drag its lifeless corpse to the finish line.
The Blackhawks are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday in what we’re calling “just another day” in the land of the Blackhawks. Patrick Kane scored and had an assist, and Kevin Lankinen is somehow still playing goalie despite not winning a game in what seems like three years. He did make 30 saves, however, if you’re looking for some sort of silver lining.
"We were just sloppy," Kane said. "Even when we got the puck back, we gave it away too easy. They're a hard forechecking team. I think Hynes deserves a lot of credit for the way they play. You look at their roster and you think it's a beatable team, but they just play so hard, and he obviously enforces that. So he deserves a lot of credit."
I hate to break it to you Patrick, but your group has been sloppy all year. And if you don’t find yourself out of Chicago with a trade at some point this summer, it’s going to be the same things next year. And the year after that, and maybe the year after that.
Prediction
Don’t overthink this one. The Flames may not be playing their best hockey right now, but one way to take out the frustration of that mess is facing teams who are 10 times worse than you, and that’s what you have to think of when playing the Flames. They might take the night off a bit considering there’s nothing left to play for, but I’d still expect a dominant win. Flames win 6-1
Betting trends
Flames are 15-9 this season after winning three of four.
Flames are 21-15 this season after winning by two or more the previous game.
Blackhawks are 5-14 this season after two straight overs.
Blackhawks are 44-57 the past three seasons after playing a division game.
Projected lines
Flames:
Johnny Gaudreau -- Elias Lindholm -- Matthew Tkachuk
Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Tyler Toffoli
Dillon Dube -- Calle Jarnkrok -- Blake Coleman
Milan Lucic -- Adam Ruzicka -- Trevor Lewis
Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson
Oliver Kylington -- Christopher Tanev
Nikita Zadorov -- Erik Gudbranson
Jacob Markstrom
Johnny Gaudreau -- Elias Lindholm -- Matthew Tkachuk
Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Tyler Toffoli
Dillon Dube -- Calle Jarnkrok -- Blake Coleman
Milan Lucic -- Adam Ruzicka -- Trevor Lewis
Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson
Oliver Kylington -- Christopher Tanev
Nikita Zadorov -- Erik Gudbranson
Jacob Markstrom
Blackhawks:
Statistical leaders
Flames:
Points: Johnny Gaudreau -- 105
Goals: Matthew Tkachuk -- 39
Assists: Johnny Gaudreau -- 69
Goalie: Jacob Markstrom -- 35-15-8, 2.22 GAA, .923 SV%
Blackhawks:
Points: Patrick Kane -- 88
Goals: Alex DeBrincat -- 39
Assists: Patrick Kane -- 63
Goalie: Kevin Lankinen -- 5-13-6, 3.68 GAA, .887 SV%
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Calgary Flames - Chicago Blackhawks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
