Trent Reinsmith
- What: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Calgary Flames
- Date: Thursday, March 23, 2023
- Location: Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: SNW, ATTSN-RM
A pivotal NHL Western Conference matchup takes place tonight in Alberta, Canada when the conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights travel to the Scotiabank Saddledome to face the Calgary Flames, who are fighting for a wild card spot as the 2023 NHL season winds down and the playoffs approach.
Vegas enters tonight’s matchup with the best record in the Western Division and Pacific Division at 44-21-6. The team’s 94 points puts them two ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, who play in the same division. The Golden Knights are a 22-7-5 road team. The club is 8-2-0 in its past 10 games and is coming off a 4-3 road win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Calgary is in fifth place in the Pacific Division. They are currently out of the wild card mix with a 32-25-15 record. The Flames trail the Seattle Kraken by six points in that race, and they are four points behind the Winnipeg Jets. Calgary is a 16-14-4 home team in 2023, and the club is 5-3-2 in its past 10 outings. The Flames enter tonight’s matchup coming off a 5-1 road win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s NHL matchup between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Calgary Flames, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Calgary Flames picks for March 23, 2023
| Teams |  |  |  |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +125 | +115 | +120 |
| Calgary Flames | -138 | -135 | -140 |
Vegas Golden Knights breakdown
The Vegas Golden Knights lost their starting goaltender Logan Thompson in early February with a lower-body injury. However, the team has gone 13-3-2 since then. On March 2, the team traded for veteran goalie Jonathan Quick. That was a good move because Adin Hill left the lineup with an injury not long after that. Thompson has not played since his injury, but he served as the backup for Quick on Tuesday.
Jack Eichel leads Vegas in scoring with 54 points. His 26 goals are also tops on the team. Eichel picked up his second hat trick of the 2023 NHL season on Sunday in the Golden Knights 7-2 win over Columbus. However, he went without a point in the games before and after that outburst. Outside of Eichel, two other players on the Vegas squad have more than 20 goals on the season, Reilly Smith (24) and Jonathan Marchessault (22).
Quick has played six games with Vegas. He is 5-1 with a goals against average of 2.98 and a .906 save percentage.
Calgary Flames breakdown
The Flames have not been consistent this season. The team’s longest winning streak is three games, which it has managed twice during the 2022-23 season, but both those runs came in 2022. Meanwhile, Calgary has endured losing skids of seven games and five games (twice) this year. They ended a two-game skid on Tuesday with their win over Anaheim.
Tyler Toffoli is the team’s leading scorer with 65 points. He’s also tops on the team with 29 goals. Meanwhile, Elias Lindholm leads the club in assists with 40. Outside of Toffoli and Lindholm (21), only Nazem Kadri has more than 20 goals, with 21.
The Flames goaltending duo of Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar have been average on the season with a combined goals against average of 3.08. The pair’s save percentage is .890.
Best bet for Vegas Golden Knights vs. Calgary Flames
Tonight marks the fourth meeting between these teams for the 2023 NHL season. The Flames have two wins in the series, most recently beating Vegas 7-2 on March 16 in Vegas.
Vegas has wins in six of its last seven games, and they have won five straight road games. The best bet is for the Vegas Golden Knights to beat the Calgary Flames on the road tonight.
Pick: Vegas Golden Knights to beat the Calgary Flames.
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