Golden Knights vs Flames

Jack Eichel may own this matchup historically with six points in two games against Calgary this season, but with both Eichel and Shea Theodore ruled out for Vegas’ Canadian road swing, the betting picture shifts toward the home side just as the Flames are heating up. Calgary comes in off a 4-2 comeback win over Seattle and is 5-2 in its last seven overall, including a 6-1-1 surge in its past eight at the Saddledome, while Vegas just had a 5-0-1 run snapped in a shootout loss to New Jersey and now has to replace its leading scorer and top puck-moving defenseman on short notice. The current ESPN rosters confirm that the Golden Knights still dress a deep group headlined by Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl and a mobile blue line, but the absence of Eichel down the middle and Theodore on the power play meaningfully trims their edge over a Flames lineup built around Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund and workhorse blueliner Rasmus Andersson. Vegas has dominated the season series 2-0 (10-3 aggregate) thanks largely to Stone and Eichel driving offense, yet Calgary’s recent territorial control at home, Dustin Wolf’s solid form in net, and a healthier core than the banged‑up Knights make the modest home underdog price of +105 attractive despite Vegas’ superior underlying numbers and Pacific Division perch. At this number, I’ll side with the Flames’ momentum and home ice, grading the pick a B+ for a solid blend of win probability and plus-money value, while still acknowledging the risk of fading a deeper Vegas roster even when short-handed. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/12/2025 09:42

With the total at 5.5 and both sides trending toward tighter, structured hockey, the under gets the nod in what profiles as a lower‑event Pacific tilt. Vegas has been one of the league’s better defensive outfits, sitting in the top third of the NHL in goals against and leaning on a deep blue line and goaltending tandem that has held opponents to three or fewer goals in most of its recent 5-1-1 stretch, while Calgary’s offense has been bottom-tier by season-long production with just 89 goals in 35 games and a middling power play despite recent home outbursts. The confirmed absence of Eichel and Theodore removes a huge chunk of the Golden Knights’ primary creation on the rush and first power-play unit, forcing more of the load onto Marner, Stone and Hertl against a Flames team that has tightened up at home behind Wolf and a heavy-minutes top pair of Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar. Calgary’s recent results have mixed shootouts and grinders, but their underlying profile is that of a squad winning more through forecheck and goaltending than finishing talent, and the first two meetings with Vegas (4-2 and 6-1 Knights wins) came when the Golden Knights were significantly healthier. With both teams likely to lean on matchups and special-teams discipline in a divisional game where Vegas is traveling and short key stars, a 3-2 type scoreline appears more likely than a track meet, making Under 5.5 at -110 a B+ grade play: good correlation with the matchup dynamics and no premium juice attached, yet still vulnerable if Calgary’s suddenly confident power play stays hot. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/12/2025 09:42

If you expect another tight one-goal game in Calgary, the puckline safety net on the home side makes sense, even if the price tag is steep. Vegas has played a remarkable number of one-goal contests lately—10 of its last 14 have required overtime, a shootout, or been decided by a single marker—and that was before losing Eichel and Theodore, developments that should further compress their scoring margin and encourage Bruce Cassidy to lean on low-risk, matchup-heavy hockey on the road. The Flames, meanwhile, have turned the Saddledome into a more difficult stop over the past month, with Wolf stabilizing the crease and their top six (Kadri, Backlund, Huberdeau, Coronato and Farabee) starting to drive more consistent five‑on‑five pressure, which has translated into a string of competitive, often late-deciding home games even when they don’t get the full two points. From a pure win-percentage standpoint, Calgary +1.5 looks strong given their improved form and Vegas’ injury issues, but laying -250 for protection in a league where empty-netters and special-teams swings are constant introduces significant risk-reward imbalance compared to simply taking the moneyline; as a result, I’ll still lean to Flames +1.5 but only grade it at C+, acknowledging that the probability of cashing is high while the monetary upside is relatively thin for the bankroll exposure. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/12/2025 09:42