NHL: Calgary Flames vs Dallas Stars odds, picks, and predictions

On Tuesday night, the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames face off in game one of their NHL playoff first-round series at Scotiabank Saddledome. After a 46-30-6 regular-season record, the Dallas Stars will enter the postseason as one of the wild card teams. Joe Pavelski leads the Stars in scoring with 81 points (27 goals, 54 assists), followed by Jason Robertson with 79 points (41 goals, 38 assists), and Roope Hintz with 72 points (37 goals). Jake Oettinger is 30-15-1 with a 2.53 GAA and a.914 save percentage this season, while Braden Holtby is 10-10-1 with a 2.78 GAA and a.913 save percentage.

After ending the season with a 50-21-11 record, the Calgary Flames will enter the playoffs as Pacific division champions. With 115 points and a team-high 75 assists, Johnny Gaudreau leads the Flames in scoring, while Elias Lindholm has 82 points, 40 assists, and 42 goals. Gaudreau has a +64 plus/minus rating, while Lindholm has a +61 rating. Matthew Tkachuk has 104 points and a +57 rating thanks to 42 goals and 62 assists, while Andrew Mangiapane has 55 points and 35 goals. To this point in the season, Jacob Markstrom has a 37-15-9 record in goal for Calgary, with a 2.22 goals-against-average and a.922 save percentage.

Dallas has gone 1-4 on the road in their past five games, while the over has gone 4-2 in their previous six. Calgary has gone 10-4 in their past 14 games overall, 4-1 in their last 5 at home, and 5-1 in their last 6 home games. Dallas' greatest opportunity to stay in this series is a low-scoring game, as pure, black-and-blue, rugged playoff hockey may be the only thing that knocks this young Flames club off their game. On the other hand, I believe Jacob Markstrom will be able to keep the Star's offense at bay.

Calgary Flames vs Dallas Stars picks and predictions

My Pick: Calgary Flames