The Vegas Golden Knights face a huge back-to-back and it all starts tonight against the Calgary Flames.
In what is the battle of second Vs. third in the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome before facing a huge showdown with the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
It is a huge couple of days ahead for the Golden Knights (37-24-8) who put up an absolute stinker in Winnipeg on Friday, being blown out in a 4-0 shutout by the Jets.
Robin Lehner will get the start for Vegas tonight and the goalie is 2-0-0 with the Knights with a 3.01 Goals Against Average and a .967 Save Percentage.
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It will be the same lineup for the Golden Knights as the one that was shutout by the Winnipeg Jets, and they will need to elevate their game a lot if they want to secure their first win of this five-game road trip.
It won’t be easy, however, given that the Calgary Flames (36-26-7) are starting to hit their stride at the right time having carved out a three-game winning streak.
They are 16-12-4 on home ice and 5-1-1 in their last seven outings, while they could move to within just one point of the Golden Knights in second in the Pacific Division with a win tonight.
The Flames have been boosted by the fact that superstar forward Johnny Gaudreau, who got off to a slow start in the regular season, is now currently averaging a point per game.
He is second on Calgary in points with 58 (18 goals, 40 assists), while gritty forward Matthew Tkachuk leads the Flames in points with 60 (22 goals, 38 assists).
One of the biggest strengths of the Flames this year has been their penalty kill, which is operating at a 82.6 clip, ranked sixth in the NHL.
Cam Talbot, who is set to make his fourth consecutive start tonight, is 12-10-1 this year with a 2.63 Goals Against Average and a .919 Save Percentage.
Head-To-Head
This is the third meeting between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Calgary Flames this year, and the first at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The Golden Knights have absolutely dominated the season series so far, winning 6-0 at T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 17, and hammering the Flames 6-2 in Vegas on Oct. 12.
However, it is a different story in Calgary with the Knights having been outscored 20-6 by the Flames in their last three outings at the Saddledome.
Projected Lineups
Let’s look at today’s starting lineups, per nhl.com…
Vegas Golden Knights
Jonathan Marchessault – Paul Stastny – Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty – William Karlsson – Nicolas Roy
Brandon Pirri – Chandler Stephenson – Nick Cousins
William Carrier – Tomas Nosek – Ryan Reaves
Robin Lehner
Scratched: Deryk Engelland, Jon Merrill
Injured: Mark Stone (lower body), Alex Tuch (lower body)
Calgary Flames
Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Elias Lindholm
Andrew Mangiapane – Mikael Backlund – Matthew Tkachuk
Milan Lucic – Derek Ryan – Dillon Dube
Sam Bennett – Mark Jankowski – Tobias Rieder
Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie
Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson
Derek Forbort – Erik Gustafsson
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Zac Rinaldo, Oliver Kylington, Michael Stone
Injured: Travis Hamonic (upper body).
Game Info
Here is all the essential information you need to know prior to faceoff…
Time: 4:00 p.m. PT
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary
TV Broadcast: AT&T Sportsnet
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9/1340
Live Streaming: ESPN+ has a free 7-day trial that includes live streaming for this game on all your smart devices! Besides NHL games, ESPN+ features a selection of live games from MLB, MLS, Serie A, FA Cup, and EFL. Get in on the action with Live UFC Fight Nights, 30+ Top Rank Boxing cards, Grand Slam tennis from Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open.
Finishing Off
This is the first of a huge back-to-back for the Vegas Golden Knights who also face a massive showdown with the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
The Golden Knights, who are 0-1-0 on this five-game road trip so far, will then take on the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche before returning home.