12/16 06:05 PM NHL (71) NEW YORK RANGERS at (72) CALGARY FLAMES
Take: (71) NEW YORK RANGERS -110
Metrics are big part of the equation for many baseball handicappers. That’s not so much the case in other sports, although the metric community is growing across the board. That’s clearly the case in the NHL, as there are now a wealth of stats available to get a truer read on teams that the old school base statistics can offer.
The Calgary Flames spent the first portion of the season causing metrics believers to just shake their heads on a regular basis. All the data said the Flames were getting lucky, but they just kept on winning. However, the regression to the norm is now taking place, and in a pretty big way.
The Flames have hit the skids of late, and they will enter tonight’s home game against the Rangers on a five game losing streak. The good breaks have ground to a halt, the goaltending has slumped and a team that was supposed to be pretty mediocre is now playing that way.
The Rangers are currently just barely in the Eastern Conference playoffs as far as the current standings are concerned, but they’re coming into tonight’s battle in decent form. The Broadway Blues will be looking to win for the fourth straight game, so they’re trending in the opposite direction of the Flames.
In breaking down some of the key categories, this is pretty much a sweep for the road team. The Rangers have the better overall data, they win the home/road showdown on the stat sheet, and they’re also owners of the better special teams, both 5×4 and 4×5. With the Flames now mired in their first slump of the season, I will look for the Rangers to cash a winning ticket at what is a very reasonable price tonight.