The Vegas Golden Knights (1-0-2) will look to extend their three-game point streak when they take on the Calgary Flames (1-2-0) tonight at Scotiabank Saddledome (6 p.m. PT).
The Golden Knights have averaged 3.33 goals for and against per game, good for ninth and 19th overall, respectively. Calgary has averaged 2.0 goals per game (29th) while giving up an average of 4.0 (26th).
After defeating Edmonton 4-3 in a shootout in their season opener, the Flames have dropped two straight, including a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Canucks as well as a 4-2 loss to St. Louis over the weekend.
Matt Coronato leads the Flames in scoring with two goals and three points through three games. Nazem Kadri and Joel Farabee are tied for second with two assists apiece.
Jack Eichel leads both teams with two goals and seven points, while Pavel Dorofeyev leads the NHL in goals (5) and power-play goals (4); he was named the NHL’s First Star of the week. Mark Stone has five assists, four of which have been primary helpers on each of Dorofeyev’s four power-play strikes.
The Golden Knights are 16-8-2 in the all-time matchup against the Flames, though Vegas has struggled on the road, going 5-6-2 in 13 games at Scotiabank Saddledome (compared to 11-2-0 at T-Mobile Arena).
In the crease
Dustin Wolf has played all three games for Calgary so far this season, including a back-to-back set to start the year. He is 1-2-0 with a 3.99 goals-against average and .865 save percentage, and he has -3.9 goals saved above expected, according to Money Puck.
It’s a small sample size, though Wolf is coming off a tremendous rookie season that earned him a Calder Trophy nomination. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 29-16-8 record as well as a 2.64 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and three shutouts in 53 starts.
Wolf is 2-0-2 in four career starts against Vegas, recording a 3.12 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. He was 1-0-1 last season, surrendering seven goals on 76 shots (.908 SV%).
Adin Hill recorded a 16-save shutout in his lone appearance against the Flames last season. He is 3-2-1 all-time against Calgary with a 2.52 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and one shutout. He is 0-0-2 with a 3.24 goals-against average and .854 save percentage in two starts.
Akira Schmid also won his only start against the Flames last season, finishing the contest with a 1.86 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Schmid is 1-0-0 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .870 save percentage.
Both Vegas netminders are slightly in the red in goals saved above expected, with Hill sitting at -0.9 and Schmid slightly higher at -0.4. However, Hill was much better in his most recent start, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Kraken.
Special teams report
In the 2024-25 season, the Flames finished 19th in the NHL on the power play with a 21 percent conversion rate. Vegas had the second-ranked power play (28.3 percent), thanks in large part Tomas Hertl playing the bumper position for a full season.
The two clubs had almost identical numbers on the penalty kill, with the Flames finishing the season with a slight edge at 76.1 percent (25th) compared to Vegas’ 75.7 percent (26th).
This year, the power play has been a force for the Golden Knight once again, clicking at 30.8 percent, which ranks fifth in the league. Dorofeyev has scored all four of Vegas’ power-play tallies. The Golden Knights are 4-for-13 and continue to look dangerous.
Teams are going to start taking away the Dorofeyev one-timer option on the right side, but that should open things up for the stacked Vegas unit, which features Dorofeyev, Stone, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Hertl.
The Flames’ power play is operating at 14.3 percent this season, which is good for 21st overall. Calgary’s shorthanded unit ranks 22nd overall at 75 percent.
Keys to the game
Give it a shot
The Golden Knights have given up the first goal in all three games this season.
Including the preseason, the Golden Knights have fallen into a 1-0 hole in 10 straight games.
Given how things have gone, it might be time to try something new.
Since the season opener, Vegas has not trailed by more than one goal; however, the Golden Knights have been forced to chase in all three games.
Last year, the Golden Knights went 28-8-8 when scoring first and 22-14-2 when falling into a 1-0 hole. Ironically, the Golden Knights finished first in the NHL in win percentage when giving up the first goal (.579). However, that’s not a trend they want to repeat this season, and there’s no time like the present to break old habits.
Killjoy
Historically, the penalty kill — which has been a weakness for Vegas so far this season — has operated at 68.3 percent in road games against the Flames, a far cry from its 86.7 percent efficiency rate at home.
Through three games this season, the Golden Knights are 5-for-8 on the penalty kill. That equates to a 62.5 percent conversion rate, which ranks 30th in the NHL. The Golden Knights have given up at least one power-play goal in every game. Though it’s a very small sample size, the combination of past struggles in Calgary as well as this year’s slow start while shorthanded could prove to be a key factor in the outcome of tonight’s contest.
Projected lineups
Golden Knights
Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Mark Stone
Pavel Buchnevich — Tomas Hertl — Mitch Marner
Brandon Saad — William Karlsson — Reilly Smith
Cole Reinhardt — Colton Sissons — Keegan Kolesar
Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore
Ben Hutton — Zach Whitecloud
Jeremy Lauzon — Kaedan Korczak
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
Flames
Matvei Gridin — Nazem Kadri — Matt Coronato
Joel Farabee — Morgan Frost — Yegor Sharangovich
Samuel Honzek — Mikael Backlund — Blake Coleman
Ryan Lomberg — Connor Zary — Adam Klapka
Kevin Bahl — Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar — Daniil Miromanov
Joel Hanley — Zayne Parekh
Dustin Wolf
Devin Cooley
How to watch
Game 4 of 82: Golden Knights at Flames
When: 6:00 p.m. PT
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome — Calgary, AB
TV: Scripps
Radio: Fox Sports 98.9 FM
Statistics courtesy of NHL.com and Money Puck.