Ducks vs. Flames: Today’s Best NHL Bets & Picks

We have a mini two-game slate of hockey on Friday with a couple of lopsided matchups. Below, I give out my best bets for Friday’s NHL slate.

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Also, take a look at our other best bets for Friday:

Friday’s Best NHL Bets

Odds via BetRivers Sportsbook

Anaheim Ducks (+265) @ Calgary Flames (-345) | O/U 6 (-124/+102)

The other game on Friday’s slate is a Pacific Division tilt with the fifth-place Calgary Flames hosting the seventh-place Anaheim Ducks. Simply put, Calgary is better than Anaheim in almost every aspect of this game.

At 5-on-5, the Flames rank much higher than the Ducks in both xGF/60 and xGA/60. Additionally, goaltender Jacob Markstrom is finally starting to turn the corner this season.

Over his last four starts, Markstrom boasts a .936 save percentage (SV%) and 2.21 goals against average (GAA). This strong play is likely to continue against Anaheim, a team he has dominated over the last two seasons.

Across his last three starts against the Ducks, Markstrom is 3-0 with a .924 SV% and 1.98 GAA. Across the ice, goaltender John Gibson is slated to start between the pipes for Anaheim.

While Gibson’s job is made virtually impossible due to the lineup in front of him, he is still 13-23-7 this season with a .903 SV% and 3.89 GAA. Calgary has won each of the last four meetings and seven of the last between these two teams, a trend likely to continue on Friday night.

Best Bet: Flames -1.5 (-134)

Best of luck!

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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.