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The Calgary Flames head to UBS Arena on Saturday, March 14, 2026, for a 7:00 PM ET matchup with the New York Islanders, with the game streaming on ESPN+. Calgary enters at 26-32-7, sitting 15th in the Western Conference and seventh in the Pacific Division, so this is more about pride and a late push than any real margin for error. The Flames did at least bring some life into this spot after a 5-4 road win over New Jersey, and that matters a little. They have not had many clean stretches lately, but they did get offense from throughout the lineup.
The Islanders are in the more urgent playoff position. New York is 37-24-5, seventh in the Eastern Conference and third in the Metropolitan Division, but the race around them is tight enough that a home game like this still carries pressure. Patrick Roy’s club lost 3-2 to the Kings on Friday after falling behind 3-0 again, which is becoming a bit of a theme. So this is the second half of a back-to-back for New York, and that is one of the more important angles in the handicap. Calgary is not the better team overall, but the scheduling spot gives this game a little more texture than the records suggest.
Calgary Flames vs New York Islanders Odds
These are the current betting lines for this matchup, and bettors should always monitor the latest NHL odds before locking in a play.
| Team | Moneyline | Puck Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Flames | +144 | +1.5 (-180) | O 5.5 (-118) |
| New York Islanders | -171 | -1.5 (+147) | U 5.5 (-104) |
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Calgary Flames Betting Form
Calgary is still a flawed team, but there are a few signs of resistance. The Flames just put up five goals in Newark, and that snapped into view because they got contributions from multiple lines instead of asking one or two players to do all the scoring. That kind of spread-out offense is probably the only way they stay dangerous right now. Jonathan Huberdeau remains sidelined, and this lineup simply does not have enough natural finishers to survive long stretches of one-line hockey. Even so, the Flames have shown they can create enough volume to hang around, especially when Dustin Wolf gives them steady goaltending.
From a betting perspective, Calgary is interesting because the profile is not totally dead underneath the record. The Flames have been respectable in shot generation, they block a lot, and their 5-on-5 shot attempt numbers are better than you might expect from a team in this spot. The problem is that their high-danger creation and power play remain shaky, so it can be tough for them to turn decent stretches into separation on the scoreboard. Their Calgary Flames stats and results show a team that can compete structurally, but one that still struggles to sustain offense when games tighten up.
Availability is a big part of that. Huberdeau is out, Jake Bean is out, Samuel Honzek is out, and Zach Whitecloud has been dealing with an upper-body issue. That is not a light list for a team that already lacks margin. It is worth checking the Calgary Flames injury report before puck drop, because Calgary needs as much functional depth as it can get in a road spot like this.
New York Islanders Betting Form
The Islanders are in the playoff mix because they defend well enough and usually get reliable work in net, but they have started making life harder on themselves. Falling behind early has become a real issue, and that showed up again Friday night against Los Angeles. New York rallied, got two goals from Emil Heineman, and made the game interesting, but it is difficult to trust a team that keeps spotting opponents multi-goal cushions. That is especially true on a back-to-back, when clean starts and game management matter even more.
Still, the broader form is better than the one-game snapshot. The Islanders have been solid in the standings for a reason, and UBS Arena has still been a useful setup spot even if their home record has not been overwhelmingly dominant. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, and a few secondary pieces keep this offense functional enough, and the team’s real backbone is still its defensive structure and goaltending. Their New York Islanders schedule and stats point to a club that usually prefers controlled, lower-event hockey, which is part of why this total opened at 5.5 instead of something more aggressive.
The wrinkle here is the crease. Ilya Sorokin played Friday, and New York is expected to turn to David Rittich on Saturday, which changes the feel of the game a bit. Rittich has put together a decent season overall, but he is still a downgrade from Sorokin in a matchup where the Islanders are priced as a meaningful favorite. Add in injuries to Pierre Engvall, Kyle Palmieri, Alexander Romanov, and Semyon Varlamov, and this is not exactly a full-strength group. Bettors should monitor the New York Islanders injury report before this one starts.
Calgary Flames vs New York Islanders Matchup Breakdown
This game probably comes down to whether New York can control the script early. The Islanders want a cleaner, slower game with territorial structure and fewer breakdowns off the rush. Calgary, oddly enough, may be more comfortable if the game gets a little loose. The Flames are not explosive in the classic sense, but they have been better when they can spread touches around and turn the game into a more open exchange rather than trying to beat a settled defense shift after shift.
The special teams angle is not especially glamorous because neither team has had a strong power play this season. Calgary has been near the bottom of the league on the man advantage, and New York has not been much better. That tends to pull the game back toward 5-on-5 play, where the Islanders still have the edge in overall structure but not necessarily in every chance-quality category. If you like digging into how these profile mismatches matter, the NHL betting guide is useful context for reading games like this beyond the surface records.
The scheduling spot is what keeps pulling me back toward Calgary on the number. New York is playing the second half of a back-to-back after another game where it had to chase from behind, while Calgary comes in with a day off after an emotional road win. That does not make the Flames the better side in a vacuum. It just narrows the gap. And with New York likely not getting Sorokin, the edge in net is not as wide as the moneyline suggests.
There is also some season-series context here. Calgary already beat the Islanders 4-2 in January, and the Flames have quietly had success in this matchup over the past few seasons. I would not overweight that, not too much, but it fits the idea that this is not a clean favorite spot. For bettors thinking more broadly about playoff positioning and team trajectories, the Stanley Cup betting guide can help frame where clubs like the Islanders fit in the bigger picture.
Calgary Flames vs New York Islanders Predictions and Best Bets
My lean on the side is toward Calgary plus the goal and a half, and I think the underdog moneyline is at least worth a look for price shoppers. The Islanders are the more complete team and they absolutely deserve to be favored at home, but this number feels a bit heavy once you account for the back-to-back spot and the likely goalie downgrade from Sorokin to Rittich. Calgary is not dependable enough for me to call the outright upset as the main play, though it is very much live if New York sleepwalks through another first period.
The total is where the handicap gets a little tricky. At first glance, 5.5 looks low, but it also matches the way both teams usually want to play. Neither power play has been trustworthy, and New York in particular tends to drag games into more controlled sequences when it is at its best. The problem is that recent Islanders starts have been messy, and Calgary is coming off a game where it found goals from all over the lineup. So while the under is the more logical side of the number, I do not love it enough to make it the top recommendation.
There is a decent chance this lands in that 3-2 range, maybe 3-1 if one team gets the empty-netter, and that would support both Calgary +1.5 and the under. But from a value standpoint, the puck line stands out more because it gives room for a competitive road effort without asking Calgary to be something it usually is not. The Flames have enough structure to stay inside the number if Wolf holds up and the Islanders continue their habit of letting games get unnecessarily tense.
Best Bet: Calgary Flames +1.5 (-180).
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NHL Picks and Handicappers on ScoresAndStats
NHL betting gets a lot easier when you can compare different opinions instead of locking into one read too early. Some handicappers will see this as a straight Islanders bounce-back spot, while others will attack the schedule angle and plus-price value on Calgary. That is why checking today’s NHL picks can help before the market shifts again later in the day.
ScoresAndStats also gives bettors a better way to separate real long-term performance from short hot streaks. You can compare styles, track consistency, and see who is actually producing profit over time. The top sports handicappers page and the full handicapper leaderboard make that part a lot easier when you are building a card.
If you want a stronger opinion set before puck drop, the premium NHL picks section is the next step, especially on a board where pricing and timing matter. And for bettors scanning the rest of the slate, the broader NHL previews page is a solid way to compare matchup angles across the league.
