Free NHL Picks Today: Florida Panthers vs Calgary Flames 11/19/22

Two of the NHL’s highest volume shooting teams are set to meet at FLA Live Arena on Saturday, as the Calgary Flames (7-7-2) head to face the Florida Panthers (9-7-1). Calgary is coming off a 4-1 loss against the Lightning on Thursday, their fourth defeat in a row away from home.

The Flames took advantage of their power play opportunities, scoring once on three shots, while also conceding a power play goal. Elias Lindholm was the only player to find the net for the Flames. Jacob

Markstrom saved only 20 of 23 shots against (.869%) in the loss. Florida fell 6-4 to the Stars on Thursday. Four players found the net for the Panthers. Sam Bennett had three assists to lead the team in scoring. Sergei Bobrovsky started in the loss and saved only seven of 11 shots (.636%).

HEAD TO HEAD

The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 5-1 victory for the Flames in January. Johnny Gaudreau led Calgary with four points (0G 4A). Bennett scored Florida’s only goal. Markstrom got the win, saving 28 of 29 shots (.965%).

FACING OFF

Calgary is averaging 3.00 goals per game for the season, 18th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Panthers team that is allowing 3.18 goals a game (16th). Meanwhile, Florida has found the net 3.29 times a game on average, 14th in the league, and the Flames are allowing opponents to score 3.38 goals per game (22nd).

Both teams average more shots/game than most teams in the league. Florida’s 40.1 average ranks first, while Calgary ranks No. 4 with 36.2 attempts. The Flames have struggled to stop shots with a team save percentage of only .886% (30th), while the Panthers have stopped .907% of attempts (12th).

Expect several power play opportunities for the Flames, as the Panthers have been penalized 5.00 times a game, fifth-most in the NHL, for an average of 10.88 minutes (12th-highest). The visitors are averaging 4.62 penalties (11th) and 9.94 penalty minutes a game (15th).

The Flames’ 20.75% power play percentage ranks 17th in the league, while the Panthers are 27th with a conversion rate of 16.67%. In terms of penalty killing, Calgary has the league’s 10th-ranked PK% at 80.65%, while Florida is 17th at 78.46%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 14 points each this season, Lindholm and Nazem Kadri are the top skaters for the Flames. Both have seven goals and seven assists in 16 games. In the net, Markstrom (6-3-2) is Calgary’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.06 GAA and a .889% save percentage.

Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with 22 points. He has six goals and 16 assists (8th). Spencer Knight (5-2-0) has the best goals against average for Florida at 2.31.

He has a save percentage of .922%. Bobrovsky (4-4-1) has played the most games in net for the Panthers this season. He has a 3.14 GAA and a .905% save percentage.