The Calgary Flames were no match for the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, as Vegas easily dispatched the Pacific Division's bottom team with a 6-2 victory. As usual, Jack Eichel continued his torrid start, adding three more points to reach 16 in nine games. Meanwhile, four players scored for the Golden Knights, including Mark Stone, who notched his second-ever hat trick with three straight third-period goals. In goal, Carter Hart improved to 4-2-0 early in the season, making 28 saves.
Following recent victories over the Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, and Seattle Kraken, Vegas continues to collect valuable points against weaker Pacific Division opponents before facing Western Conference heavyweights like the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche.
Golden Knights are still the team to beat in the Pacific Division
In nine games, the Golden Knights have already faced five Pacific Division teams and only need to face the Oilers and San Jose Sharks to complete their first tour of division foes. After defeating the Flames, Vegas is now 4-1-0 against Pacific Division opponents and holds a two-point lead over Edmonton (13-11) after the Oilers lost to the Utah Mammoth on Thursday.
Last year, the Golden Knights went 15-5-6 against division rivals and are off to a hot start this season. With the Canucks finishing with the worst record in the NHL, the Flames weren't much better and are actually worse off this year. Heading into Thursday’s contest, Calgary had only one win this season and posed little threat to a stacked Golden Knights team. Unfortunately, for Flames fans, this was only one of four meetings.
Golden Knights have an opportunity to build their Pacific Division lead
Vegas won’t play two of the game’s most gifted scorers, Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini, for another month. The Golden Knights will face the Canucks again on November 15 before traveling to Edmonton on November 24 and San Jose on November 27. They'll then begin December with a brief trip to Los Angeles.
Of course, each Pacific team has yet to play 10 games, so it’s way too early to draw conclusions about how the Golden Knights will stack up against these opponents a month from now. However, the top teams are starting to separate themselves from the bottom, and barring a significant losing streak, it’ll come down to a few teams like Vegas, Edmonton, Seattle, Anaheim, and San Jose.
Winning divisional games so early helps the Golden Knights keep setting the pace and gives them the inside edge to repeat as Pacific champions. One concern for Vegas is that the Ducks, Sharks, and Kraken, once considered relatively easy opponents, have become increasingly competitive. The Golden Knights’ quest to win the Pacific won’t be easy, but beating struggling teams like the Flames is a key part of their master plan to return to the Stanley Cup Final.
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