Calgary’s Goaltending Could End Canada’s Stanley Cup Drought

The NHL Playoffs started Monday, May 2nd and it has been nothing short of exciting so far. Coming into the playoffs there have been impressive teams to make this one of the most wide-open playoffs in recent history. Anybody has a solid chance of winning and with just three teams from Canada, the Calgary Flames give the country the best chance at their first Stanley Cup since 1992. They face the Dallas Stars who are in the WC1 spot in the first round.

The current NHL Stanley Cup Odds on BetUS have the Calgary Flames as the third favorite with +650 odds to win. During the 2021-22 regular season the Flames led the Pacific Division with 111 points and third in the Western Conference. In the entire NHL, the Flames were the sixth-ranked team in points and was one of nine teams to end their year with 50 wins. 

Led by star player Johnny Gaudreau, this Calgary Flames team was one of the NHL’s best on offense as they averaged the sixth-most goals scored in the league with 3.55 per game. Gaudreau led the team with 75 assists and 115 points where he tied for second amongst league leaders as well. Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm led the Flames in goals both scoring 42 total with Gaudreau right behind them with 40 goals.

On the defensive end, they were the third-best team and allowed just 2.51 per game. Jacob Markstrom is a big reason for that as he ended the regular season with a league-leading nine shutouts. Markstrom also ended the season second in GAA with 2.22 and fourth in SV% with .922. He could earn himself a nomination for the Vezina Trophy as he also finished fourth in goalie wins with 37. Markstrom will be a major factor in the Flames upcoming playoff games following a shutout in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars.

On top of finding NHL Stanley Cup Odds on BetUs, you can also bet on Conn Smythe Winners. Johnny Gaudreau (+1600) and Jacob Markstrom (+1800) are the two players from the Calgary Flames that are top ten in Conn Smythe odds. With goaltending a big difference-maker for nearly all previous Stanley Cup winners, Markstrom will be heavily relied on and as the goaltender with the best odds, he could be the reason the Flames come home with a Stanley Cup.

In the past 20 years, there have been six goalies who have won the Conn Smythe including last year’s winner Andrei Vasilevskiy. If Flames can continue their excellent puck stopping with Markstrom in net they are destined to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals and potentially winners. If Markstrom is crowned the Conn Smythe winner as a result, he and Vasilevskiy would be the first back-to-back goalies to win the trophy since Tim Thomas and Jonathan Quick in the 2011 and 2012 Stanley Cups. 

As stated before, goaltending plays a big role in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Calgary Flames are one team that has a major edge over other teams. The Flames are the third-best team in the NHL and first in the Western Conference in GAA as they average just 2.55 per game and their starting goalie Jacob Markstrom is top five in all major goalie categories. With help from Johnny Gaudreau and company on the offense, this team can make waves in the playoffs and make a run at the Stanley Cup. 

Starting Game 1 against the Dallas Stars with a shutout is a great way to kick off the playoffs and with continued dominance in net and consistency on offense, this Calgary Flames team could be the first Canadian Stanley Cup winner since 1992.