Flames Favored to Make Playoffs By Bettors

With a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Dec. 18, the Calgary Flames have continued their march back into the Western Conference playoff picture in the National Hockey League.

The Flames sit, as of Dec. 18, at 13-14-5, 31 standings points and are one point behind the Arizona Coyotes for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Calgary finds itself on the outside looking in for a three-team race for the final wild card spot right now. Arizona holds that final spot at 15-3-2 and 32 standings points while the St. Louis Blues are right behind them at 15-14-1 and 31 standings points.

Both the Blues and the Coyotes have played two fewer games than the Flames. But, of course, it is still early and there is still time for other teams to make a run. And there is also time for Calgary to make a run of its own too.

The Flames have perhaps one of the most talented rosters in this race, boasting a deep forward core, one of the best defensive groups in the league and a goaltender who is capable of being elite in Jacob Markstrom.

While their stars’ numbers haven’t jumped off the page yet, the Flames have gotten a surprisingly good output out of Yegor Sharangovich, who was acquired via trade from the New Jersey Devils. He leads the team in goals with 11 and has added 19 points along with that.

Depth forward Blake Coleman has also chipped in really nicely, ranking second on the team in both goals (10) and points (22).

Nazem Kadri leads the team in points with 23 while MacKenzie Weegar has really stepped up from the back end, scoring eight goals and 19 points in one of the best starts to a season in his career.

Want to see the Flames’ odds of making the playoffs? You should click to visit some betting sites.

Even with once-star player Jonathan Huberdeau off to a putrid start with four goals and 15 points in 32 games, Calgary is projected to factor into the NHL playoff picture.

The Flames have the second-best odds out of all of the teams in the race for the second wild card spot at +144 odds to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But the team with the best odds is not the Coyotes or Blues. It is the Minnesota Wild and the Connor McDavid-led Oilers, who each have better odds than the Flames to make the postseason.

The Wild have +138 odds to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are currently four points behind the Coyotes for the final wild card spot at 12-13-4 (28 points) through 29 games.

The Oilers, meanwhile, have an astonishing -235 odds to make the playoffs despite starting the season with a 13-14-1 record and 27 standings points through their first 28 games. But having the best player in the world on your roster will do that for you.

But still if the Flames are able to maintain a strong pace, they have the best odds out of any team currently in the race to beat out these surging, playoff-grizzled teams for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

And they surely have the talent to do it, especially if they get more offense from their slumping stars at some point.