BEST LINE: Pinnacle +104

Posted at 1:15 PM EST

OT included. The market still does not believe in the Flames and so we’ll continue to back them until it does, especially against Eastern teams when they are being offered a price at home. Calgary has picked up five out of a possible six points over its last three games and has picked up points in five of its last six overall. That includes wins over Chicago and Nashville and an OT loss at home against the Bolts upon returning from a six-game trip. The Flames have allowed just 38 shots on net combined over their last two games, a mere 16 to Carolina and a mere 22 to the Lightning. They are getting outstanding goaltending and great defensive play from their top four defencemen. That four-man unit is as good as any in the league. This is a Calgary team that is playing with tremendous confidence and they’re going out there expecting to win. It’s also worth noting that they are staying out of the box with just four minors taken over their past three games. Disciplined, well-coached and still very much under the radar, the Flames offer up tremendous value as a pooch at home against the Capitals.

Washington isn’t your big brothers’ Capitals anymore. No longer are they looking to win games 6-4 or 5-3. The Caps are learning that winning starts from your own blue-line first and everything else will take care of itself. Under Barry Trotz, that’s the new direction for Washington and so far the results have been good. The Caps’ shots on goal against are way down and they are now winning games 2-1 and 3-2. The Capitals loss to Edmonton on Thursday was completely unjust, as they dominated play in the third period, which looked like a 20-minute power-play. We certainly like the direction of them but this wager is not about fading the Capitals. This one is all about playing value and letting the chips fall where they may. Calgary, without question has a better chance of winning than the Caps and they are wrongly being billed as the dog here. It’s also worth noting the “Canadian” angle tonight after the events on Parliament Hill this past week. Emotions are very high in Canada and we saw the Redblacks respond last night with an emotional performance against Montreal. Tonight, the entire country will be watching as the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs will stage a coordinated tribute immediately preceding the 7 p.m. EST puck drops at their respective arenas. Calgary will have a similar tribute as the only late game in Canada tonight that will be seen on Hockey Night in Canada across the country, We’d be very cautious about betting against any Canadian team tonight.