Good news for Calgary Flames: Vegas sitting five of their best players tonight
The Vegas Golden Knights won’t be as intimidating of an opponent as Calgary Flames were expecting this evening.
Tonight’s game is a huge one for the Flames, who are facing potential elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As for the Golden Knights, it doesn’t mean a whole lot, as they’ve already secured the Pacific Division title.
Given that the game doesn’t mean much for the Golden Knights, they are taking a very precautionary approach. Head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed this afternoon that Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo, and Noah Hanifin will all be kept out of the lineup. Meanwhile, Adin Hill will get the night off in favour of backup goaltender Ilya Samsonov.
#VegasBorn wonāt play Hanifin, Pietrangelo, Stone, Eichel, or Hill tonight vs. Calgary.
Ilya Samsonov starts in net, Akira Schmid backing up.#Flames host Vegas at 7 pm.
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) April 15, 2025
Eichel’s 93 points sit first on the Golden Knights this season, while Stone’s 67 are second. Meanwhile, Pietrangelo’s average of 22:24 minutes in ice time ranks first amongst his teammates, while Hanifin’s 21:33 are third.
As for Samsonov, he’s struggled this season with a 2.78 goals against average (GAA) along with a .892 save percentage (SV%) through 28 appearances.
Technically speaking, this game isn’t a must-win for the Flames. A single point could still keep them in striking distance of the St. Louis Blues, though then the Blues would need to fall to the Utah Hockey Club in regulation.
NHL.com
The Minnesota Wild are also in action tonight against the Anaheim Ducks. Should they fall in regulation, the Flames still have a shot at catching them should they defeat the Golden Knights this evening.
The Flames, who picked up two crucial points versus the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, will ice the same lineup this evening. Adam Klapka will continue to play on the first line alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, while Dustin Wolf will get his eighth-straight start.
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