NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Golden Knights vs. Flames

Golden Knights vs. Flames Odds

One week after the Calgary Flames dished out a 7-2 dressing-down of the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena, the Pacific Division foes will square off in a rematch in Calgary on Thursday night.

The Golden Knights hold down top spot in the Western Conference, while the Flames are fighting to grab hold of a playoff spot.

Will the road team prevail again? Here's the latest on both sides and your best bet for the game.

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Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights lost big to the Flames last week, but moments like that have been few and far between — especially lately.

Vegas sits fourth in the NHL standings and first in the Western Conference with 94 points. Since the Golden Knights shored up their lineup ahead of the trade deadline, they've been even better. Vegas is 9-3-1 since Feb. 26.

Minor-league call up Pavel Dorofeyev has also been red hot. Over the past five games, the 22-year-old has logged his first six career NHL points, and two of his four goals have been game-winners.

Vegas is in the midst of a three-game road trip, which kicked off with a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

Additionally, the Golden Knights' success has come despite dealing with a long list of injuries. However, the defense group is now healthy and goaltenders Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit have joined Jonathan Quick on the road trip.

Quick has posted a 5-1-0 record since arriving in Vegas. But that one loss was last week's game against Calgary, where he gave up six goals. Thompson was activated off the injured list Tuesday and served as the backup in Vancouver, so he could be in position to take the net in Calgary on Thursday. If he does, it will be his first start since Feb. 9. He's 20-13-3 on the year with a solid .914 save percentage.

Calgary Flames

Calgary's scramble toward a wild-card spot took a positive turn Tuesday with a 5-1 road win over the Anaheim Ducks. It was a relatively easily night for Dan Vladar as he faced just 20 shots.

The Flames open a three-game homestand Thursday and have a day off between each game. Coach Darryl Sutter could continue with Vladar, who's now 13-6-5, but carries only an .891 save percentage.

Last season's Vezina Trophy runner-up, Jacob Markstrom, has been inconsistent all year. But after some strong outings over the past few weeks, including the win last week in Vegas, Markstrom struggled badly in his past two outings. He gave up six goals in an overtime loss to Dallas last Saturday, then was pulled after giving up another six over two periods in Los Angeles on Monday.

But while their goaltending has been sketchy, the Flames' offense has been solid as they've made their playoff push. Since March 12, Calgary is averaging 4.5 goals per game and clicking at 29.4% on the power play.

Golden Knights vs. Flames Pick

For all their struggles this season, the Flames have posted a 2-0-1 record against the Golden Knights. Thursday's game will be the final meeting of the year between the two sides.

Despite the fact Calgary sits 15 points behind Vegas in the Western Conference standings, the oddsmakers are giving the home side a strong edge as the favorite in the matchup.

That spells opportunity for a bettor. The Flames are a desperate team, and that desperation has led to mental mistakes that have caused their challenges to snowball. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have been finding ways to win.

Roll the dice on the Sin City squad.

Pick: Golden Knights Moneyline | Play to +100

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