The Vegas Golden Knights enter Saturday's game against the Calgary Flames wounded. They don't have Jack Eichel because of cooties (okay, it's an illness) and Shea Theodore because of an upper-body injury. That doesn't bode well for the Golden Knights, especially since Calgary has played well in recent memory.
The Flames have gone 6-3-1 in their past 10 games, getting points in seven of their last 10 matchups. That might not seem like much, considering that Calgary is, well, terrible. However, that doesn't mean that Saturday's game will be easy.
Calgary has been a tough team to score on this season, allowing 105 goals in 35 contests. That alone could cause trouble for a Golden Knights team missing two key players. However, there's more to the story: Calgary's penalty kill is actually good.
Without Eichel or Theodore, how will the guys combat the Flames? Will they "flame out" and post a nothing burger in Alberta? Or is there a way for the Golden Knights to persevere and take two points in the frigid cold? Let's dive deeper into this conundrum that's as cold as ice and see what the problem (and the solution) is!
The Vegas Golden Knights might have trouble on the power play against the Calgary Flames
I know! It seems like a far-fetched idea, considering how mid the Calgary Flames are and how universally awesome the Vegas Golden Knights are. However, the stats and the circumstances don't lie.
First, the Golden Knights are without Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore for the Alberta trip at a minimum. Eichel's got the case of the sniffles, while the Original Misfit has an upper-body injury that's keeping him out on a week-to-week basis.
You need power play production from your best players, specifically with Eichel (16 power play assists) and Theodore (one goal and three assists). Otherwise, how are you going to tackle the league's ninth-best penalty kill (82.7% entering Friday)?
The goaltending is also problematic, standing at a GAA of 2.94 (tied for 12th in the NHL). Calgary also has a team save percentage of .901 (tied for 10th), making matters much more complicated.
How can the Golden Knights get past the Flames in the power play department?
Well, the good news is that you still have big names like Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev. With a combined 15 power play goals, the duo has been the collective engine that runs the Vegas man advantage. So, why not lean on them to generate some goals?
Hertl has the size in the slot to cause problems for his opponents. He also has a goal and an assist on the unit against Calgary, making him one of the more dominant players. While Dorofeyev hasn't had a point against the Flames this season, he can bank on shooting from near the point to either score through traffic or generate a deflection.
The short Alberta trip can be extremely challenging without two key Golden Knights. You lose two players who create excellent zone entries and set up efficient scoring opportunities. Still, the big guns can shine in the cold, warming up Alberta and revving up the oil. Wouldn't that be... heart-warming?