Five things to watch when the Calgary Flames play host to the Vegas Golden Knights:
1. Elite 1st lines The objective in hockey is to outscore your opponent and this game features two of the league's best lines at doing just that.
They won't match up against each other and fight fire with fire but at least one of those dynamic trios will be on the ice for a good portion of the game. It should be really fun to watch.
2. Michael Frolik's return The Flames will have some reinforcements in their effort to slow down Vegas' top line as Frolik is expected to return from a broken jaw.
The 3M line was one of the best defensive units in the league a season ago and they have picked up where they left off this year.
Among 44 lines to play 200+ minutes together at 5v5, the 3M line ranks 4th in Corsi For% and 5th in Expected Goals Against/60.
Frolik is coming back at the right time as the Flames will need all hands on deck to slow down the Karlsson line.
3. Testing Vegas' discipline Only three teams have taken fewer penalties than the Golden Knights this season and they have the 5th best penalty differential in the league. Their ability to draw penalties, and not take many, has helped them win the special teams battle on many nights, which is one of the reasons they've piled up the wins at such an impressive rate.
Tonight their discipline will be tested against Matthew Tkachuk, who has drawn a league-leading 32 penalties and angered every opponent along the way, and Johnny Gaudreau, who is tied for 4th with a +15 penalty differential.
4. The Brodie - Hamonic pairing The play of this pairing has been up and down for much of the year and right now they're in one of their down stretches. Over the last 15 games, the Flames have controlled ~45% of the shot attempts and chances with this pairing on the ice at 5v5. During this stretch they've actually posted the worst possession numbers on the roster. They need to be much better.
5. Mike Smith Smith is on a run of epic proportions right now. He hasn't allowed more than three goals in a game once over his last 17 starts and he owns an absurd .940 save percentage during that span. He's as hot as the sun itself right now. If that holds true for another night, the Flames should have a good chance of beating the Western Conference leaders.
Here are the projected lineups:
Calgary
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Micheal Ferland Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik Sam Bennett - Mark Jankowski - Troy Brouwer Curtis Lazar - Matt Stajan - Garnet Hathaway
Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton T.J. Brodie - Travis Hamonic Brett Kulak - Michael Stone
Mike Smith
Vegas (via DailyFaceoff.com)
Reilly Smith - William Karlsson - Jonathan Marchessault David Perron - Erik Haula - James Neal Brendan Leipsec - Cody Eakin - Alex Tuch Oscar Lindberg - Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - Will Carrier
Deryk Engelland - Shea Theodore Jason Garrison - Nate Schmidt Colin Miller - Brad Hunt
Marc-Andre Fleury
Puck drop is just after 9:00 eastern and can be seen on SNW and ATTSN-RM.