Tuesday night’s NHL slate is headlined by a major tilt in the Pacific Division as the Vegas Golden Knights travel to Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome. Both teams enter this game undefeated and will be eager to put forward a strong performance to rack up a big in-division win early in the season. In tonight’s NHL betting picks, we break down this Golden Knights vs Flames matchup.
Calgary enters Tuesday night’s game as the firm favorites at -150 odds to earn the win at home over the Golden Knights. The total is set at 6, with the Over priced at +100 for bettors who want to back a high scoring affair.
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Golden Knights vs Flames Betting Pick
This game will be played at the Scotiabank Saddledome at 9:00 PM ET on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.
VGK Soft Schedule Benefactors
Vegas are 3-0 and feeling good after a hot start in the season’s opening week. However, that record is a bit of a false flag for bettors as the Golden Knights earned two of those wins over two of the NHL’s worst teams. VGK were lucky to play the tanking Chicago Blackhawks and the newly formed Seattle Kraken last week, taking advantage of games against teams who are tanking for Connor Bedard this season.
The Knights deserve some credit for taking care of business and earning the full six points in their first three games. However, bettors might want to consider where the Knights wins came from before taking the underdog value on the moneyline. Calgary is a serious cup contender and Vegas has yet to play a team of that type of calibre this season.
Thompson Calgary Homecoming
VGK starting goaltender Logan Thompson makes his return back home to Calgary to take on the hometown team as the opposing goalie. The former starting goaltender of the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL has been a surprise success story as a pro, making the jump from the ECHL to the AHL all the way to the NHL last season as Thompson has made the most of opportunities created by injuries to goalies higher up in the organizational depth chart.
Thompson started in 19 games for the Knights last season and posted a solid .914 save percentage and a 10-5-3 record. So far this season, Thompson has been rock solid and has allowed just three goals in his two starts. Expect the local goalie to be fired up to play in front of friends and family at the Saddledome in a well earned moment.
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Potent Offenses
Vegas and Calgary have been filling the back of the net so far this season as the goals have been coming in bunches for both teams.
Calgary has scored an impressive nine goals in two games, including four goals in the Battle of Alberta in Edmonton on Saturday night. The Flames exploded for a four goal first period against their hated rivals, holding onto a 4-3 win over the Oilers.
Meanwhile, Vegas poured it on against the Kings, Kraken and Blackhawks during the opening week of the season. The Golden Knights have scored an impressive 10 goals in three games and will look to keep their output strong against veteran Calgary netminder Jacob Markstrom in this one.
The Over is 6-0-1 in the past seven games in Calgary between the Flames and Golden Knights.
Flames Red Hot at Home
The Flames will be fired up and ready for a big early season test at home against the Golden Knights and should feel good about their chances of earning the win. Calgary has been tough to beat at home, winning eight of their last eleven games at the Saddledome dating back to last season.
Calgary really should take care of business in this game if the preseason assessments of these two teams are accurate. The Flames are a bonafide Stanley Cup contender this season, as evidenced by their win over the Oilers and their season opening win over the defending champion Colorado Avalanche.
This Flames team is really good and appear locked in to have an outstanding regular season to prove they are legit after saying goodbye to Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau this summer. New faces and a motivated core have this Flames team buzzing early in the season and despite being priced at -150 on the moneyline, are the best bet in this game against a Golden Knights team that hasn’t come remotely close to playing a team on the level of this Calgary squad.
Until Vegas beats a true Cup contender, it is hard to be convinced that they are back to being one of the top teams in the Pacific Division. They have the opportunity to do just that on Tuesday night, even if it is unlikely to happen against a Flames team that should take care of business at the Saddledome and send the fans home happy in Calgary.