The Vegas Golden Knights (44-21-6) play the 2nd contest of a 3-game Western Canada road trip against the Calgary Flames (32-25-15) Thursday. Puck drop from Scotiabank Saddledome is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Golden Knights vs. Flames odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Golden Knights kicked off their road trip with a 4-3 win at the Vancouver Cancuks Tuesday. Vegas has won 6 of its past 7 games dating back to March 9, but the lone setback was at a 7-2 loss to the visiting Flames last Thursday. The Over has cashed in 5 straight outings for VGK.
The Flames tripped up the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 on the road Tuesday. Calgary has picked up points in 5 of the past 6 games and 7 of the past 9 outings. The Over has hit in 4 of the previous 5 contests, too.
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Golden Knights at Flames odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:35 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Golden Knights +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Flames -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Golden Knights +1.5 (-220) | Flames -1.5 (+160)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Golden Knights at Flames projected goalies
Logan Thompson (20-13-3, 2.66 GAA, .914 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Jacob Markstrom (19-19-10, 2.98 GAA, .889 SV%, 1 SO)
Thompson stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced vs. the Minnesota Wild in his most recent start on Feb. 9. He left that outing due to a lower-body injury, prompting the team to trade for G Jonathan Quick. LT was activated from injured reserve and served as a backup Tuesday and is expected to be back in the crease Thursday.
Markstrom allowed 6 goals on 26 shots and was pulled after 2 periods in his most recent start Monday in Los Angeles. He is now just 4-4-2 with a 3.05 GAA and .894 SV% across 10 starts in March.
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Golden Knights at Flames picks and predictions
Prediction
Flames 5, Golden Knights 4
Moneyline
The FLAMES (-140) is a solid play as moderate favorites on home ice.
The Golden Knights have won 6 of the past 7 games, but that lone loss was against the Flames. While VGK has won 5 straight on the road, it’s hard to forget about that 7-2 beatdown by Calgary in Vegas.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Golden Knights +1.5 (-220) will cost you more than 2 times your potential return for a goal of insurance and that’s quite expensive. Just AVOID if you aren’t comfortable playing them straight up.
Over/Under
The OVER 6.5 (+100) is a solid option at even money.
It’s all about the Over lately for Vegas. The Golden Knights have cashed the Over in 5 games in a row and in 4 of their last 5 games on the road. The Over is 5-1-1 in the past 7 games inside the Pacific Division, too.
For the Flames, the Over is 4-1 in the past 5 games overall and 4-1 in the past 5 games against Western Conference foes.
The Over is also 6-1-1 in the previous 8 meetings between these clubs in Calgary and is 3-1-1 in the past 5 meetings overall in the series — including the most recent one last Thursday.
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