Off to an impressive start, the Vegas Golden Knights have the opportunity to build more momentum with a three-game homestand that begins when the last-place Calgary Flames visit Las Vegas on Thursday.
The Golden Knights, who have won five of their past six games and sit atop the Pacific Division, return to the desert after a decisive 5-2 victory at Nashville on Tuesday.
Against the Predators, Vegas’ top three forward lines scored and the defense corps combined for five assists.
“We talk a lot about how much our depth means to our team and how effective it is,” said forward Brett Howden, who logged one goal and one assist. “It goes to show that we can count on anyone on any given night.”
The game was tied at the midway point, with both teams surrendering a lead, but the Golden Knights showed off their depth by pulling ahead of the Predators late in the second period and then potting a pair of goals less than two minutes apart early in the third.
“Sometimes, when you’re in those tight games, you tend to not want to give anything up,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “I thought we did a good job of staying on our toes, getting after them, playing in the offensive zone and generating some good looks. It was a really good third period for us.”
Adding more confidence, the Golden Knights have won 13 of their 15 home-ice clashes with Calgary since Vegas entered the NHL in 2018.
Although the Flames arrive tied for the league’s lowest point total (two), they are buoyed by claiming their first victory, a well-deserved 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday to kick off a two-game road swing.
Calgary opened the season with five consecutive regulation-time losses, the worst start in franchise history.
“We’ve been battling hard the last few games and just can’t seem to get over that hurdle,” Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf said. “It was nice to see one finally go in the net to give us two points.”
Calgary limited an opponent to fewer than four goals for the first time this season. It was only the second game in which the Flames held a lead.
To their credit, the Flames bounced back after trailing 2-1 at the first intermission. Calgary responded with a trio of unanswered goals and held the majority of play in the final two periods.
“It’s not easy when you’re in a stretch like this to start the year. You want to see the players have results,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “It’s nice to see the pieces kind of come together a little bit more than they have the prior five games.”
Now, the quest is to build on that victory instead of spiraling into another skid.
“Winning is fun, and that’s what we all want,” said Calgary forward Adam Klapka, who opened the scoring in the first period with his second goal of the season. “We have to keep going and play the same way all the time.”
–Field Level Media
