The Flames vs Golden Knights preview for Thursday night centers on a lopsided early-season gap: Vegas enters at 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Pacific Division, while Calgary sits at 1-5 with a division record of 1-4. The Golden Knights host the Flames at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. ET, with the two Pacific Division rivals meeting for the first time this season.
Vegas has won four of its last five games, most recently a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. Calgary, by contrast, has been outscored 29-12 this season, a minus-17 differential that ranks among the worst marks in the league entering play.
Flames Vs Golden Knights Preview: Game Information
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 15
- Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, Scripps Sports
- Matchup type: Pacific Division, season series opener
By The Numbers
- Goals (season total): Vegas 29, Calgary 12
- Goals against (season total): Vegas 20, Calgary 29
- Goals against average: Vegas 2.50, Calgary 4.83
- Save percentage: Vegas .904, Calgary .832
- Shooting percentage: Vegas 11.8%, Calgary 6.8%
- Shots on goal (season total): Vegas 246, Calgary 176
- Power-play goals: Vegas 7, Calgary 2
- Faceoff percentage: Vegas 52.0%, Calgary 50.3%
- Penalty minutes: Calgary 81, Vegas 64
Vegas Golden Knights Outlook
Vegas carries a .904 team save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average into Thursday, numbers that reflect a defense that has allowed just 20 goals through eight games. The Golden Knights are 3-1 on the road this season and own a 2-1-0 record in games where they score at least one power-play goal.
Jack Eichel leads Vegas with 13 points on 4 goals and 9 assists. In Tuesday’s 5-2 win over Nashville, William Karlsson scored for the second straight game, while Eichel, Tomas Hertl, Trevor Connelly and Brett Howden also found the net. Adin Hill stopped 25 shots in that win, though Carter Hart is listed as the probable starting goaltender for Thursday, a projection that could change before puck drop.
Vegas will be without defensemen Parker Wotherspoon, sidelined by an upper-body injury, and Lukas Cormier, out with an undisclosed injury. Forwards Victor Olofsson and Kai Uchacz are also out for the Golden Knights with undisclosed injuries, thinning the forward depth even as the team rides a stretch of four wins in five games.
Calgary Flames Outlook
Calgary’s .832 team save percentage and 4.83 goals-against average sit at the opposite end of the league from Vegas, with the Flames having allowed 29 goals in eight games. Calgary’s offense has managed just 12 goals and a 6.8% shooting percentage, converting on only 2 power-play goals all season.
Joel Farabee paces Calgary with 4 points, tied for the team scoring lead alongside Aydar Suniev’s 2 goals. Dustin Wolf is projected as the probable starting goaltender for the Flames. Calgary will be shorthanded up front, with Jonathan Huberdeau out on injured reserve following hip surgery and Samuel Honzek sidelined by a lower-body injury.
Key Matchup
The clearest storyline is Calgary’s leaky defense against a Vegas attack that has scored 29 goals in eight games. The Flames have surrendered 29 goals of their own, a rate of better than three and a half per game, while Vegas has averaged roughly three and a half goals scored per contest over the same stretch. With Calgary’s penalty-killing unit already stretched thin by 81 total penalty minutes and Vegas converting on power plays at a steady clip this season, how the Flames handle special teams and shot suppression will likely determine whether the scoring gap widens further.
What To Watch
Vegas sits atop the Pacific Division standings with 12 points, one ahead of Edmonton, while Calgary sits at the bottom of the division with 2 points. A Flames loss would extend their skid to a sixth defeat in seven games this season, while Vegas is looking to bounce back immediately after its 4-2 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday snapped a four-game run of strong play. The game marks the first meeting of the season series between the two clubs.
Calgary enters off a 4-2 win over Anaheim on Wednesday, its first victory of the season, giving the Flames at least some momentum heading into Las Vegas. For more on Calgary’s recent stretch, see the Flames vs Ducks preview and the recap of the Avalanche’s 7-3 win over Calgary. Vegas fans can track the team’s divisional form in the Golden Knights vs Canucks recap.
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