Flames’ 2020 Point Total Predicts 10-Point Decline for Calgary, Second-Place Finish in the Pacific
- The Calgary finished with the most points (107) in the West last year
- The Flames were 21st in save percentage, though, and had a quiet offseason
- Online sportsbooks have set Calgary’s 2019-20 point total at just 96.5
If the oddsmakers are correct, the Calgary Flames will fall in the standings by about 10 points next season. The team that finished atop the Western Conference in the regular season with 107 points is faced with a regular-season point total of 96.5 for the 2019-20 NHL season.
What’s the best bet with the Flames?
2019-20 Regular-Season Point Totals: Pacific Division
| Team | Regular Season Point Total | Over Odds | Under Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Knights | 100.5 | -115 | -115 |
| Calgary Flames | 96.5 | -115 | -115 |
| San Jose Sharks | 93.5 | -115 | -115 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 90.5 | -115 | -115 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 90.5 | -115 | -115 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 85.5 | -115 | -115 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 79.5 | -115 | -115 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 73.5 | -115 | -115 |
*Odds as of Jul. 25.
Flames Have Quiet Offseason
The Flames didn’t make huge changes to the team that was the No. 1 seed in the West last season. They hope that becoming a Stanley Cup contender will come from internal growth.
The moves the Flames did make included signing goaltender Cam Talbot, who is fresh off his worst season as a pro. He was 11-17-3 with a 3.40 GAA and .892 save percentage. That was awful.
Keep in mind that he played for the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers last year – two bad teams – so a change in scenery could help.
Outside of that, the Flames bizarrely acquired Milan Lucic, albeit for a disgruntled James Neal, who was coming off a really bad year. Even though Talbot should only be there to spell David Rittich, and Lucic is just a depth forward (with a really, really, really bad contract), these moves don’t help.
Salary Cap An Issue
The Flames have some maneuvering to do if they want to keep everyone happy. On Thursday, they found a way to sign Sam Bennett to a two-year contract but the team still has Rittich and Matthew Tkachuk as restricted free agents. Both will be crucial to the team’s success in 2019-20 but the team is strapped for cash right now.
Flames Are Mostly Running It Back
The Flames burst on the scene last year with 107 points and they actually managed to do that with some pretty awful goaltending. Yes, Rittich was 27-9-5 but he had a paltry .911 save percentage. It was Mike Smith, who is now with Edmonton, who got the start in the postseason. The team was 21st in save percentage last year.
The Flames bring back their top six forwards and top four defensemen, so there shouldn’t be a huge drop-off. At the same time, a mostly similar team in 2017-18 – although the budding stars were a year younger – finished with just 84 points.
The key to this team is goaltending. If Rittich is respectable how he was last season, this team will get over 96.5 points. Will they get to 107 again? Probably not but 97 is quite reasonable. It’s basically asking them to be among the top five or six teams in the West.
My concern is that Rittich just isn’t that good. He was 19-4-4 with a 2.47 GAA and .918 save percentage before the All-Star break last season and just 8-5-1 with a 2.89 GAA and .898 save percentage after the break. I don’t see that changing much in 2019-20 and it will sap the Flames. With this weak spot in net, bet the under.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
