Vegas Golden Knights vs. Calgary Flames Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 4/14/2022

Time: 9 p.m. ET

Venue: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB

Where to watch: ATTSN-RM, SN360

DraftKings: Check back later

BetMGM: Check back later

Caesars: Check back later

Golden Knights: 40-29-5

Flames: 45-19-9

Well, here it is. The two-game stretch that can either save or end the Vegas Golden Knights’ season. And of course it comes in the homes of the two top teams in the division they’re trying to catch up to with eight games remaining.

It’s pretty simple at this point. If the Golden Knights do not defeat the Calgary Flames on Thursday in the Scotiabank Saddledome, it’s all but over. The door is basically open for Vegas to catch up to the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division, or possibly the Dallas Stars for the second wild card. They need a win. Badly. Or the Golden Knights will miss the playoffs for the first time in their history.

Vegas somehow escaped with a point on Tuesday in Vancouver, rallying from two goals down in the third before Shea Theodore single-handedly tied it. But Quinn Hughes scored the winning goal in overtime less than a minute in to keep the Canucks’ playoff hopes alive, and take a slight hit to the Golden Knights.

Robin Lehner made 22 saves, and Alec Martinez even added his first goal of the year. The good news for Vegas is Mark Stone is back, and their captain showed flashes of his old self in that game. But they’re going to need more from him and the collective group if they want to squeak into the playoffs.

“Obviously proud of the way the guys battled back,” Martinez said. “Getting points this time of year is big but that said, we’re shooting for two, not one. There’s something that we need to tighten up, some things we need to work on but we just got to focus on next game.”

Special teams killed the Golden Knights on Tuesday, going 0-for-3 on the power play while giving up two power-play goals, including the opener 1:04 in off the stick of Bo Horvat.

Whether it’s Lehner or even Logan Thompson at this point in goal, the Golden Knights need a much better performance if they’re going to have a chance. And considering the Saddledome has been a place of horrors for the Golden Knights the past few years, odds are not on their side to slow down what might be the most under-the-radar hottest team in the league.

The Flames rallied back to defeat the Seattle Kraken 5-3 led by a hat trick from Matthew Tkachuk. Johnny Gaudreau had two assists to reach 100 points this season, the first Flames player in 29 years to reach that mark. The Flames are one win from a 100-point season themselves, and considering where everything was looking at the beginning of the year, the Flames might be the team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

“I’m sure my mom and dad were pretty excited. They hadn’t been out here in probably three years,” Gaudreau said about his family seeing him play. “My dad’s probably going to tell me I didn’t play the best game, but he’s going to be happy for me and it’s exciting to have him here.”

Calgary has the perfect blend of strong defense, talented forwards and an elite goalie. Can they put it all together when it matters most? They’re either going to welcome Nashville, Dallas or Vegas in the first round. Buckle up for a fun one either way.

I’ll believe it when I see them no longer in contention, but I’m not giving up on the Golden Knights yet. Something tells me they will reach down deep and pick up one of their biggest wins of the season. And knowing they’ll need to do it again two days later in Edmonton, I’m not giving up on this group yet. It’s going to be a high-scoring game, and I think the Golden Knights get it done. Golden Knights win 5-4

Golden Knights are 15-8 this season against division opponents.

Golden Knights are 23-5 when revenging a road blowout loss by at least two goals.

Flames are 26-13 this season after an over.

Golden Knights:

Evgenii Dadonov -- Jack Eichel -- Nicolas Roy

Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Michael Amadio

Max Pacioretty -- Chandler Stephenson -- Mark Stone

Mattias Janmark -- Jake Leschyshyn -- Keegan Kolesar

Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore

Ben Hutton -- Alex Pietrangelo

Alec Martinez -- Zach Whitecloud

Robin Lehner

Flames:

Johnny Gaudreau -- Elias Lindholm -- Matthew Tkachuk

Andrew Mangiapane -- Mikael Backlund -- Tyler Toffoli

Dillon Dube -- Trevor Lewis -- Blake Coleman

Milan Lucic -- Ryan Carpenter -- Brett Ritchie

Rasmus Andersson -- Noah Hanifin

Christopher Tanev -- Connor Mackey

Michael Stone -- Juuso Valimaki

Jacob Markstrom

Statistical leaders

Points: Jonathan Marchessault -- 59

Goals: Jonathan Marchessault -- 28

Assists: Chandler Stephenson -- 40

Goalie: Robin Lehner -- 23-16-1, 2.76 GAA, .909 SV%

Points: Johnny Gaudreau -- 101

Goals: Elias Lindholm -- 38

Assists: Johnny Gaudreau -- 67

Goalie: Jacob Markstrom -- 34-14-8, 2.19 ERA, .924 save percentage