Flames vs. Golden Knights Odds
| Flames Odds | +164 |
| Golden Knights Odds | -200 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -134 / +110 |
After losing four out of their last five games, the Calgary Flames take on the Golden Knights tonight in Las Vegas. Calgary hasn’t exactly been a model franchise since losing two of its key producers from its division-winning team from two seasons ago, as it stands fifth in the Pacific and is in the abyss of mediocrity.
On the other hand, the reigning Stanley Cup champs haven’t lost a step. The Golden Knights have won five out of their last six, including three in a row, and hold the best record in the NHL — all doing this while missing a number of key pieces to their roster.
Here’s a look at the odds, as well as my betting prediction for the Calgary Flames vs. Vegas Golden Knights.
Calgary Flames
Watching how poorly the Flames have become is disenchanting. Jonathan Huberdeau turned from one of the league’s best playmakers to an offensive black hole. Andrew Mangiapane isn’t the goal scorer he used to be. While Nazem Kadri leads the team in scoring, he’s been a defensive sieve, and Elias Lindholm is probably the team's best player but he’s a top candidate to be traded at the deadline.
Calgary is a truly mediocre team at 5-on-5 play. The Flames stand 18th in expected goals with a 49.49 xGF%, and defensively are 16th with a 2.69 xGA/60.
As expected, the Flames are terrible on the power play, scoring just 12% of the time. However, their penalty killing is solid.
It'll be interesting to see who coach Ryan Huska turns to in net. Jacob Markstrtom is still dealing with an injury, and Dustin Wolf started Calgary’s last two games. So tonight we could see Dan Vladar, who hasn’t exactly been Mr. Reliable, playing to a lowly .877 SV% and a -4.6 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
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Vegas Golden Knights
While things have been good in Sin City, the Knights are missing Shea Theodore, Alec Martinez and Adin Hill. It hasn’t mattered since Jack Eichel has points in seven consecutive games and William Karlsson has had a resurgence on the offensive end. Not only that, Mark Stone has points in six out of his last seven games, and Jonathan Marchessault leads the team in goals.
Vegas is strong 5-on-5, ranking seventh with a 53.12 xGF%. Defensively, the Knights have been solid as well, ranking 10th with a 2.51 xGA/60.
Special teams are a major strength for the Knights. They’re exceptional on the power play, scoring at an almost 22% clip, and their penalty kill is among the best, succeeding 87% of the time.
Expect Logan Thompson to take the net tonight. He’s been the go-to guy since Hill went down with an injury. Thompson has been solid all season, playing to a legitimate .919 SV% and a +9.0 GSAx.
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Flames vs. Golden Knights
Betting Pick & Prediction
Calgary has gone through a gauntlet in the month of December, and this road trip is nothing short of that. Going against the past two Cup champs is no easy task, let alone winning back-to-back games against them.
The Knights will be walking into T-Mobile Arena, after enjoying a few nights sleep in their own beds, while the Flames will probably be battling jet lag and exhaustion from Monday night after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period at Colorado. The Flames are shattered, and now they go on to play a Vegas team that’s hummin’ even at less than full strength.
Vegas puck line seems to be in plus value, and I’d consider jumping on that. The Knights are wildly superior, and the Flames are already exhausted from their meltdown last night.
Pick: Golden Knights Puck Line -1.5 (+130)
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