The NHL regular season has reached the home stretch with about 80 percent of the games in the rearview mirror. There is an extremely light schedule for Monday, March 18 with Seattle hosting Buffalo and Calgary hosting Washington. We’ll look at both games in detail and the potential playoff implications for each.
Washington Capitals versus Calgary Flames
Washington comes into play fifth in the Metropolitan Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference. Calgary enters fifth in the Pacific Division and 11th in the Western Conference. Calgary is 17-15-1 at home and Washington is 14-15-4 on the road. Calgary is 2-4 over the last six and “ice cold up” on the Team Strength Oscillator, while Washington is 3-3 and “average” over the same stretch. The teams have been trending in games “under” the line recently, but “over” the line over the last 12. Washington defeated Calgary in the first meeting between the teams by a 3-2 score and the Score Prediction in this one is 4-3 in favor of Washington but with only 23 percent confidence. The Capitals have a decided +15 to +2 edge on the Power Ranks Indicator, while both teams are moderately consistent with regards to their favorite/underdog status. I like Calgary to even the score for the season series, winning by one goal in a game “over” the line.
Buffalo Sabres versus Seattle Kraken
Buffalo enters sixth in the Atlantic Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference and Seattle is sixth in the Pacific Division and 12th in the Western Conference. Seattle is 14-13-6 at home and losers of their last three games, while Buffalo is 15-13-4 on the road and riding a three-game winning streak. Due to the recent trends, Buffalo is “burning hot” versus “ice cold down” on the Team Strength Oscillator and +20 to +1 on the Power Ranks Indicator. Seattle easily took down Buffalo in the first game between the teams this season, 5-2 as a road underdog. The teams have been involved in games evenly over and under the line during the last 12 games. Neither team has been particularly stable according to the Team Volatility Oscillator. The Score Predictor likes Buffalo by a single goal but with confidence in prediction less than a toss of a coin. I like Buffalo but will pass on the over/under bet.
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