USA Today Sports
Tonight brings a battle between two of the Pacific Divison's elite, as the Vegas Golden Knights (36-26-5, 77 points) host the first-place Calgary Flames (41-18-7, 89 points). Both teams will meet again, in Calgary, on March 10th, giving tonight's contest a bit more intrigue.
Calgary has no problem scoring goals, ranking fourth in the NHL, lighting the lamp 234 times this season. Led by the dazzling Johnny Hockey (Gaudreau), the Flames have sizzled this season, holding down first place in the Pacific for most of the year. This comes as a surprise to many, as most projections at the start of the season undervalued the Calgary Flames. ESPN, for example, ranked the Flames 19th in their preseason power rankings, well below their current standing.
ESPN Preseason Power Rankings
Gaudreau benefits from a great supporting cast of Matthew Tkachuk, Mikael Backlund, and linemates Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan. Monahan and Gaudreau arrive in Vegas with active four-game point streaks. Supporting that dynamic forward corps is a surprisingly stout defensive unit, playing their first season since 2014-15 without the young and offensively-gifted, Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton was the "big fish" for the Carolina Hurricanes in the preseason trade for Lindholm. Led by captain Mark Giordano, the Flames' blue liners have been able to provide the support necessary for their uncertain goaltending situation.
Incumbent starter, Mike Smith, had a rough start to the season and has seemingly lost his job to the stellar play of backup David Rittich. With a near even split in starts (34 games started to 32 for Smith), Rittich sports superior numbers with his 2.66 goals against average and .910 save percentage versus the 2.92 GAA and .895 SV% of Smith. Smith continues to provide mixed results over his last five starts with a 4-1-0 record in those games, backed by a solid .919 SV%. Both goaltenders are coming off of home losses, with Smith losing 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild on March 2nd and Rittich dropping a 6-2 decision, two nights later, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rittich will be tonight's starter facing the red-hot, Marc-Andre Fleury, who has an active shutout streak of 168:43 of game time.
Following the Mark Stone, trade deadline deal, the Vegas Golden Knights have been awoken. Both the play of Stone and the energy infused into the locker room have taken the Golden Knights right out of their previous slump. Vegas is undefeated since February 26th, in their first four games of the "Stone Age". Playing on a line with Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny, Stone has assimilated himself well, filling in whihatever role needed. Playing more of a deferred role than he did in Ottawa, Stone has opened up scoring lanes and set up power play scoring chances for the likes of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Pacioretty. Although he has only recorded one assist in those four games, his impact has been felt both on the ice and around the locker room.
Tonight's contest is sure to have a playoff feel to it, as the two teams continue to jockey for playoff position down the stretch. With the Golden Knights flying high on their four-game win streak and the Flames struggling in their last two, tonight's game represents an opportunity for both clubs. For Vegas, winning both games against the Flames is an eight-point swing, bringing them closer to the top of the Pacific Division. One or two losses, essentially lock them into their current, third-place position. Calgary will assuredly come out strong, with hopes of asserting themselves as the leaders of the Pacific. Both teams have had success in the season series thus far, splitting their two games in November. Which team will reign supreme tonight, putting pressure on their opponent, for the impending rematch on 3/10?
The puck drops in Calgary at 7:30 tonight. Local game broadcast will be on AT&T Sportsnet and Fox Sports Radio 98.9 FM.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@VGK_Buzz) for in-game updates, observations, and analysis.
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