The Calgary Flames are virtual locks to make the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs but they can officially clinch a postseason spot if they take down the Vegas Golden Knights at Scotiabank Saddledome. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are in a rather more precarious position, as they are three points behind the Dallas Stars for the last wild card ticket in the Western Conference. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Vegas Golden Knights-Calgary Flames prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Vegas Golden Knights-Calgary Flames odds:

NHL odds: Golden Knights- Flames Odds

Vegas Golden Knights: +1.5 (-194)(+136 ML)

Calgary Flames: -1.5 (+160) (-164 ML)

Over: 6.5 (+100)

Under: 6.5 (-122)

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Why the Golden Knights Could Cover the Spread 

After making easy work of the Arizona Coyotes in a 6-1 home win last Saturday, the Golden Knights got tripped up by the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night, resulting in a 5-4 overtime loss. The silver lining for the Golden Knights is that their offense is humming again. A game against the struggling Arizona side seems to have jumpstarted the Golden Knights, who now have scored an average of 4.1 goals over a span of eight games while going 6-1-1. Over the same stretch, the Golden Knights have posted a 53.7 CF% and 104.4 PDO. Speaking of which, the Golden Knights are ninth in the NHL this season with a 52.3 CF%. This is a team that always finds prime scoring opportunities and has improved in the finishing department, ranking 10th and second in 5-on-5 high-danger scoring chance rate (52.9%) and second in 5-on-5 high-danger shots that ended in goals (78), respectively.

A big scoring threat on the side of Vegas is prized trade acquisition Jack Eichel, who is heating up, with four goals and two assists in the past 10 Vegas games. Forward Mark Stone played in his first game back since February 8, though he looked very rusty against the Canucks. He should have his legs back under him in the coming games, beginning with the date with Calgary, which tasted a 3-2 loss in Sin City back in December. Goalie Robin Lehner stopped 23 of 25 shots in that game to earn third-star honors. He faceplanted the next time he faced Calgary, allowing six goals in a 6-0 road loss in February, but that was also in the second game of a back-to-back set for the Golden Knights. This time,  Lehner will be more rested. Vegas is 4-0 in their last four games after taking exactly one day of rest.

Why the Flames Could Cover the Spread

The Flames are playoff ready for some time now. They will host Vegas tonight with a five-game unbeaten streak, during which they further proved that they are a cut above most teams. In that span, the Flames scored 20 goals while allowing only 10. Calgary also posted a 56.0 CF% and a 105.1 PDO overall in those contests including their 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken last Tuesday. Calgary actually was down 3-1 heading into the final period of that game before turning on the heat and burying four unanswered goals. It’s just a tall task to defeat a complete team like Calgary which boasts a roster that has four players with at least 31 goals scored this season and nine with at least 10. Leading the pack is forward Johnny Gaudreau, who now has 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists).

The Flames are sixth in the league with 3.51 goals for per game and their defense might even be better, as they are only allowing 2.47 goals against per contest. It feels that Calgary has an embarrassment of riches running alongside of their high-powered offense is the goalie Jacob Markstrom, who owns a 34-14-8 record and a third-ranked 2.19 GAA and a .924 SV% that is sixth in the NHL. Advanced metrics have Markstrom as no. 1 overall among all goalies with at least 30 appearances in terms of xGAA (2.39). In Calgary’s shutout win in February over Vegas at home, Markstrom turned away all 28 shots on goal by the Golden Knights. He is 20-7-7 with a 2.12 GAA and .928 SV% in 35 appearances at home, thus far this season.

Final Golden Knights- Flames Prediction & Pick

As mentioned earlier, the Golden Knights were taken to the woodshed in the most previous meeting with Calgary, but it’s really not easy to win a game against an elite team on tired legs. This time around, the Golden Knights are pressed to win and will enter the contest with ample rest. With Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone back and Jack Eichel in a groove, the Golden Knights will steal a win in Calgary.

Final Golden Knights- Flames Pick: Golden Knights +1.5 (-194)