Calgary Flames (17-11-7) at Vegas Golden Knights (24-8-3)
When: Sunday, 6 p.m. MT, T-Mobile Arena
TV: Sportsnet West Radio: Sportsnet 960
Odds: Flames +180, Golden Knights -225
The buzz
The last time the Flames visited Vegas, it didn’t go well.
Their 5-0 loss to the Golden Knights back on Oct. 28 was one of the low points of the Flames’ surprising season and the team has referenced that game repeatedly in the two months since as an example of exactly the way they need to avoid playing.
On Sunday night, they’ll have the chance to show how far they’ve come … although it won’t be easy.
The Golden Knights are heavily favoured for a reason. They’re carrying a five-game winning streak into Sunday evening’s showdown and have won nine of their last 10 games.
The Flames have won two in a row themselves, but there’s nothing easy about playing in San Jose on a Saturday night and then flying into Vegas for a game less than 24 hours later.
They looked good against the Sharks, playing the type of tight-checking game that’s brought them success early in the 2024-25 season. Doing it against the Golden Knights and reversing the beatdown they received back in October would certainly send a message.
The quote
“That line as a whole has been playing very well for us lately. You almost feel that now each and every night they know they’re going to be a threat for us but they’re also guys we rely on at the other end of the ice.”
— Flames head coach Ryan Huska on the line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil
The news
- Former Flames defenceman Noah Hanifin is having a nice season for himself with the Golden Knights. He’s scored five times and added 12 assists while having the third-most ice time on the team.
- With his two goals against the Sharks on Saturday, Huberdeau has now scored seven goals and added six assists in December. Combined with his play in the defensive end, it’s been by far his best stretch in a Flames uniform.
- Dustin Wolf played great between the pipes for the Flames on Saturday, but it’s expected that Dan Vladar will get the start against the Golden Knights.
The projected lineup
Forwards
Huberdeau-Kadri-Pospisil
Coleman-Backlund-Coronato
Pelletier-Zary-Sharangovich
Lomberg-Rooney-Duehr
Defence
Bahl-Andersson
Hanley-Weegar
Bean-Pachal
Goalies
Vladar
Wolf
The injuries
Flames forwards Justin Kirkland and Anthony Mantha are both recovering from season-ending knee surgeries.