Calgary Flames vs New Jersey Devils Picks and Predictions – Thursday, March 12, 2026

The Calgary Flames head to Prudential Center on Thursday, March 12, for a 7:00 PM matchup with the New Jersey Devils in a game that feels more important for the home side. Calgary enters at 25-32-7 and is trying to stop the bleeding on a rough Eastern road trip, while New Jersey comes in at 32-30-2 and is still pushing to improve its position in the Eastern race. ESPN+ has the broadcast, and the market has the Devils as a fairly clear home favorite.

The Flames were shut out 4-0 by the Rangers on Tuesday, and that loss dropped them to 4-9-3 over their last 16 games. They have now lost the first two games of this five-game road swing, which is not ideal going into a building where New Jersey has been better lately. The Devils are not exactly dominating every night, but they did just beat the Rangers 6-3 in Newark behind a huge game from Jack Hughes, and they have looked more dangerous offensively at home than Calgary has looked on the road.

This is one of those spots where recent form and venue matter quite a bit. Calgary still has enough young talent and enough goaltending to stay competitive, perhaps, but the Devils have the cleaner offensive ceiling and the more favorable setup. At the current number, bettors are being asked whether Calgary can grind this into a tight, ugly game or whether New Jersey’s skill wins out over 60 minutes.

Calgary Flames vs New Jersey Devils Odds

These are the current betting lines for this matchup, and bettors should always keep tracking the latest NHL odds before locking in a wager.

Team	Moneyline	Puck Line	Total
Calgary Flames	+157	+1.5 (-166)	O 5.5 (-117)
New Jersey Devils	-186	-1.5 (+137)	U 5.5 (-105)

Calgary Flames Betting Form

Calgary is in a bad stretch, and the road profile is hard to ignore. The Flames were blanked by the Rangers on Tuesday and have just four wins in their last 16 games. The offense comes and goes, which is really the problem. Matt Coronato can generate chances, Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee can still create enough secondary offense to keep this lineup from collapsing, and there are nights where Calgary’s forecheck looks annoying in a good way. Still, the five-on-five consistency has not been there often enough. You can get the broader picture through the Calgary Flames stats and results.

The better case for Calgary starts in net with Dustin Wolf. He has been asked to cover for a team that gives away too much territory, and if the Flames are going to steal this one, that is probably the path. They also do enough offensively to threaten weaker defensive teams, but New Jersey is not really that. Calgary’s shot volume has been decent enough, though a lot of those chances have not turned into clean finishes lately, especially on this trip. That pushes me a bit toward caution on the Flames moneyline even if the plus price is tempting.

The injury situation does not help. Jonathan Huberdeau remains out, Jake Bean is sidelined, Samuel Honzek is unavailable, and Zach Whitecloud has been dealing with an upper-body issue after getting hurt last weekend. Before betting Calgary, I would keep a close eye on the Flames injury report because this lineup already feels thin in the wrong spots.

New Jersey Devils Betting Form

New Jersey comes in with the better recent offensive signal, and that is the biggest handicap for this game. The Devils put six on the Rangers in their last home win, and Jack Hughes looked like the kind of star who can tilt a matchup almost by himself. Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier continue to give New Jersey real top-end support, and when this team’s transition game is working, it looks a lot more explosive than Calgary’s. The full team profile is on the New Jersey Devils schedule and stats.

It has not all been clean, though. The Devils followed that Rangers win with a 3-0 home loss to Detroit, so there is still some volatility here. That said, New Jersey’s shot generation is real, and its best forwards create pressure in waves when the game opens up. If the Devils can force Calgary into penalties or extended defensive-zone shifts, the edge swings pretty clearly to the home side. That is where the matchup starts to feel a little lopsided.

Jacob Markstrom looks like the likely starter, and that matters. His recent form since the Olympic break has been steadier than his full-season numbers suggest, and this is also a revenge-style spot against his former club. The Devils are missing Zack MacEwen, Stefan Noesen, and Brett Pesce, so it is still worth checking the Devils injury report before puck drop, but overall New Jersey appears to have the healthier offensive core available for this game.

Calgary Flames vs New Jersey Devils Matchup Breakdown

This game sets up around pace and shot quality. Calgary would probably prefer a lower-event script where Wolf can keep things level and the Flames can hang around long enough to pressure New Jersey late. The Devils want the opposite. They want their speed through the neutral zone to show up, they want Hughes and Bratt playing downhill, and they want Calgary chasing the puck instead of dictating where it goes. That is where this gets dangerous for the Flames.

Special teams could swing it too. New Jersey’s power play showed real life in the Rangers game when it went 3-for-3, and Calgary’s recent penalty trouble hurt it badly in New York. If the Flames take too many penalties again, this matchup gets tough in a hurry. For bettors trying to frame those details more cleanly, this is the kind of spot where an NHL betting guide can help sort out whether the side or total offers more value.

Goaltending is interesting, maybe more than the raw line suggests. Wolf gives Calgary a chance to beat the number even if the team in front of him is second best for stretches. Markstrom, meanwhile, has been solid enough lately and should benefit from facing a Flames team that has struggled to finish on the road. So while the Devils have the higher offensive ceiling, I do not think this automatically has to turn into a track meet. There is a decent argument for a controlled game if New Jersey scores first and manages it.

There is also the motivation angle. New Jersey is at home, it is deeper into a long homestand, and the standings pressure is more immediate. Calgary is trying to salvage a road trip and avoid another flat performance, but the road record and recent trend line make it hard to trust that response fully. If you are thinking more broadly about late-season market behavior, this is one of those spots where even a futures-minded read through Stanley Cup betting can remind you how much structure and goaltending start to matter in March.

Calgary Flames vs New Jersey Devils Predictions and Best Bets

My lean is to the Devils on the moneyline. The number is not light, but New Jersey has the more dangerous top-end skill, the better recent home signal, and the cleaner path to controlling this game. Calgary can still compete if Wolf stands on his head, and I do think the Flames are a little more live than a bad recent record might suggest, but the matchup still points toward New Jersey being the stronger side.

I am a little less interested in laying the puck line. The plus money is attractive, sure, but Calgary’s goaltending is good enough to keep this within one even if the Devils dictate most of the night. That tends to happen with underdogs that do not create a ton but still have a legitimate starter in net. So for me, the moneyline is the more practical way to back New Jersey.

On the total, I lean Over 5.5, though not by a mile. The Devils have enough skill to threaten three or four goals on their own, and Calgary has been involved in some messier defensive games lately. At the same time, if Markstrom and Wolf both play well, this can land right on five. That is the slight hesitation. Still, the number is low enough that one special-teams swing or one loose third period can push it over.

I think New Jersey is the right side, and I think the most likely scoring range lands somewhere around 4-2 or 3-2. The model projection you gave lines up pretty well with that read. So the side gets the stronger endorsement, with the total as more of a secondary lean.

Best Bet: New Jersey Devils moneyline (-186).

NHL Picks and Handicappers on ScoresAndStats

If you are betting NHL every day, it helps to compare opinions and not rely on a single handicap. That is where today’s NHL picks can be useful, especially on a card where goalie confirmations and late injury updates can shift value pretty quickly. One of the better things about hockey betting is that there are usually multiple ways to attack a game, and comparing different angles matters.

ScoresAndStats also gives bettors a way to evaluate the people making those picks. You can sort through top sports handicappers, check the handicapper leaderboard, and see who has actually produced over time. That transparency is a big deal because short-term NHL variance can fool people fast.

And if you want more than the free card, premium NHL picks are there too. Between the picks marketplace, the expert tracking, and the rest of the NHL previews, bettors can compare styles, weigh risk, and find angles that fit how they like to bet.