Posted at 4:00 PM EST odds are subject to change.

Pinnacle  +119  BET365  +115  SportsInteraction +113  888Sport +115  

Calgary +119 over Vegas

9:07 PM EST. OT included. The Flames played last night in Arizona, but that matters not, as they no doubt have a skip in their step, as this road trip came just as the coldest weather of the year hit the city of Calgary. When the Flames left to play the Coyotes, a foot of snow had dropped as the mercury plunged. Today it’s -37C with the wind chill. We know it’s unseasonably cold everywhere, and that it will only be 10C (or 50F) in Vegas today, but that is downright balmy compared to Calgary. Nobody goes to Vegas in February for the weather anyway, it’s just a nice spot to get away for a couple of days and have a nice steak when Old Man Winter comes a callin’ on the homefront.

On the ice, the Flames have been playing some damn good hockey. They were tough luck losers at home against the Flyers on Monday afternoon and had to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the desert, but the quality of play is there. The problem for Calgary, like most teams, is that they need a goaltender they can trust. The Flames can’t even catch lightning in a bottle like the Flyers have with Samuel Ersson, who made 32 saves, stole the show, and won his sixth game in a row as a starter in that Family Day game. Against both the Flyers (35-to-22) and the Coyotes (51-to-14), Calgary dominated the shot totals, just as they did against the Rangers (32-to-20), Red Wings (32-to-20), Senators (37-to-25), and Buffalo (40-to-23). We’ll stop there because that is when the Flames returned from the All-Star break. Do you know how many of those games the Flames won? Three. The Flames are playing some of their best hockey of the year, but the perception is that they are barely hanging on.

Vegas has gone on a 5-1 run since the break, but a closer look at their résumé leaves much to be desired with soft wins over Nashville, Anaheim, and San Jose. Last time out against lowly Chicago, the Golden Knights dropped a 3-2 decision in a shootout. The Blackhawks did not look out of place in that game either, which is not their norm. That being said, the Knights run of wins looks gorgeous, just like everything does under the boozy casino lights, but when the sun comes up and reality hits, the Knights don’t look so golden. If the same Vegas team shows up tonight that did against Chicago, it’s going to be a rough night at the office. Even if the Knights show up in spades, there is too much value in the Flames as a pooch to pass them up.

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