Vegas Golden Knights vs. Calgary Flames Pick & Prediction APRIL 15th 2025
Preview and Prediction
The Calgary Flames must defeat the champions of the Pacific Division in order to keep their chances of making the playoffs alive when they face the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Calgary (39-27-14, 92 points) enters the game three points behind the Minnesota Wild for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference and two points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second spot, meaning they will need some help from other teams.
However, the Flames can control their own fate by securing a win, which would give them a shot at making the Stanley Cup playoffs. With only two games left in the regular season, while the Blues and Wild have one each, every game is crucial for Calgary.
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Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar expressed his excitement for the high-stakes game, stating, "It's super thrilling to play in these games...We've been playing meaningful games, and it's going to continue like that now. If we make playoffs, it just carries on."
The Flames are attempting to become only the second team in NHL history to secure a playoff spot after overcoming a five-point deficit in their final four games of the season. The only team to achieve this feat was the 1958-59 Toronto Maple Leafs.
Calgary will finish their home games for the regular season against Vegas, after keeping their playoff hopes alive with a 5-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday. The Flames broke a tied game with three goals in the third period.
Forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who had two assists in Sunday's game, praised his team's composure in tight games, saying, "There's a lot of poise, a lot of poise in the dressing room...We're so confident in that third period in a tight game right now. We've been in that situation so many times."
Vegas has won all three previous meetings between the two teams this season, with two shutout victories and a 3-2 overtime win earlier this month.
The Golden Knights have already secured their spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, clinching their fifth division title in eight seasons. They will face the first wild-card team in the opening round, but first have two road games remaining, including their final game against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.
Forward Brett Howden emphasized the importance of maintaining their game plan and not letting up, saying, "Just keep building our game...We want to stick to our game plan, keep building and being ready for Game 1."
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Vegas finished their home games for the regular season with a 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Defenseman Noah Hanifin broke a tie with less than two minutes left in the game, and forward Ivan Barbashev added an empty-net goal in the final seconds.
This ability to find an extra gear when it matters most bodes well for the Golden Knights as they aim for their second Stanley Cup title in franchise history. They have already checked off the tasks of clinching a playoff spot and winning the division.
Coach Bruce Cassidy acknowledged the high expectations and standards for his team, saying, "It's good when you have high expectations and standards...Pressure...we'll welcome the pressure. That probably means you're doing well in something, right? It means you're playing in high-stakes games."
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Calgary Flames Recap APR 15TH 2025
Morgan Frost scored the shootout winning goal and tallied once in regulation as Calgary recorded a 5-4 victory over the visiting Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, but it was not enough to keep the Flames' Stanley Cup playoff hopes alive.
Nazem Kadri collected one goal and one assist while Mikael Backlund and Adam Klapka also scored for Calgary (40-27-14, 94 points), which was officially eliminated from playoff contention. Matt Coronato notched two assists.
Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf made 38 saves through regulation and overtime as Calgary beat Vegas for the first time in the last of the teams' four meetings this season.
Brandon Saad scored one goal in a three-point game for Vegas (49-22-10, 108 points), which had already clinched the Pacific Division crown and rested a few key players. The Golden Knights' Tomas Hertl had one goal and one assist and Pavel Dorofeyev and Nicolas Roy added singles.
Goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves through regulation and overtime for Vegas, which will face the Minnesota Wild in the opening round of the playoffs.
Frost, the Flames' third shootout participant, was the lone scorer when he snapped a quick forehand just inside the post to end Calgary's final home game.
The Flames were officially eliminated before the third period began with both the Wild and the St. Louis Blues winning, but that did not keep the Flames from pushing for yet another comeback victory.
Dorofeyev opened the scoring 5:25 into the contest. His shot from the right circle ricocheted off a defender's stick and into the net for his 34th goal of the season.
Frost tied the clash five minutes later by converting a sharp-angled shot from the right circle for the power-play goal that snapped his 25-game goal drought.
Goals by Roy and Hertl before the first intermission put the Golden Knights up by a pair. Roy scored at 14:52 with a breakaway tally, and Hertl converted cross-ice pass from Saad with 24 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
From there, both teams erased deficits. Kadri scored 32 seconds into the third period on a power play, a perfect shot from the top of the right circle for his career-high 33rd of the season. Backlund tied the clash at 1:04 of the third with a top-corner shot from the high slot.
Klapka gave Calgary a 4-3 lead at 11:01 of the final period by redirecting a Brayden Pachal feed, but Saad tied the game 11 seconds later when he pounced on a rebound.