New Game Preview: Golden Knights vs Calgary and Edmonton - Games 70 & 71

Game Preview: Golden Knights vs Calgary and Edmonton

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Golden Knights (36-23-8) vs Calgary Flames (36-26-7) / Edmonton Oilers (36-24-8)

 

When it comes to march madness, the NHL is not exempt from the chaos.

 

With the encumbrance of March, playoff madness is in the air. College basketball has heated up as the NCAA Tournament approaches. The NBA has begun to develop its postseason picture, and teams are ramping up their play to make the cut.
After a 4-0 Loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Las Vegas Golden Knights now find themselves in a slippery position going into division play to end the season. Leading the Pacific Division by just two points (a single game lead), the Golden Knights will head into a two-game back to back contest with the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, respectively.

Both teams are directly behind the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division standings, itching to get their chance to knock the  Knights off the top spot and seize it for themselves. After a couple of Losses from Las Vegas over the last three games, both teams will have their chance.

 

First to the plate will be the Calgary Flames, currently in third place with 79 points, behind the Oilers. Calgary has worked their way back into the conversation as a potential Pacific Division title.

 

Sunday night Las Vegas travels to the Saddledome a heavily weakened roster, with Mark Stone still on a day-to-day basis and Alex Tuch back on injured reserve. Vegas will have to get over their offensive issues to try and get past a hungry Calgary team amid a three-game win streak. In each game, the Flames have played more physical and faster on defense. Mark Stone’s absence has illuminated the fact that the Golden Knights have struggled to move the puck around the ice.

 

Following that game, The Golden Knights will face the Edmonton Oilers who one week ago took a 3-1 loss to the Knights in Las Vegas.

 

Since that time, the Oilers have played much more solid hockey, which has kept them in position to tie the for the Division lead if the Golden Knights made a mistake. Thanks to the Winnipeg Jets and the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton has a chance Monday night to slide past the Knights for first place.

For the Golden Knights, however, the next two games will determine if they will give themselves a decent lead in the Pacific going into the Minnesota Wild game next Thursday. But a loss in one or both games, will leave Golden Knights either tied for first or knocked all the way down to third place, putting Vegas in a troublesome position that would have them fighting to stay in the Stanley Cup playoff race.

 

The next two games will have a playoff feel to them as all three teams fight for their postseason lives.

 

In these games, the most crucial thing for the Golden Knights to figure out is who will handle the Goalie net. Over the last five games, newly acquired Goalie Robin Lehner has gone 2-0 in his first starts with the Golden Knights, giving up less than two goals a game. Meanwhile, superstar Mark-Andre Fluery has struggled, giving up two four-goal games and a five-goal game against Anaheim. It should be said that his most favorable was against the Oilers a week ago, where he didn’t surrender a single goal.

This inconsistency at the Goalie position, coupled with the injury of Mark Stone, has put the Golden Knights in a tight spot. Vegas now has to find a way to gel, while playing two of the most important games of their season so far.

 

Both games will be on the road, in Calgary and Edmonton, the Flames game-opening face-off will be at 4:00 p.m. Sunday, and the Oiler games opening face-off will be at 6:00 p.m. P.T.

 

-JaRon Turner – Franchise Sports Media

Golden Knights vs Calgary and Edmonton   Golden Knights vs Calgary and Edmonton   Golden Knights vs Calgary and Edmonton 

Golden Knights vs Calgary and Edmonton   Golden Knights vs Calgary and Edmonton   Golden Knights vs Calgary and Edmonton 

Vegas! If you want another great place to watch the game, head to Al’s Garage in Summerlin. There are multiple televisions to watch all the games. On the weekends, Al’s has “Happy Hour” starting at 9 AM and ending at 9 PM. Al’s Garage is located at 11760 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89135. Tell them, “The Franchise sent you!!”

 

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