[Puppet Guy]

*ahem*...cough-cough...

'Couple of losses gonna set our chances
Of gettin' to the playoffs on fire
There's some points on the line and they're ready to burn,
So stoke them Flames up higher
The players and their mommies are waitin' out there
And they're all playin' devil may care
(let's hog-tie Troy Brouwer and we'll leave him there)
in Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!


A little news to get things started (www.calgarysun.com):

Their first-ever meeting was on Jan. 30 at the Scotiabank Saddledome which was during a particularly rough patch for the Flames. Mike Smith made 31 saves for the Flames in a 4-2 loss which ended an 11-game point streak for Calgary (their fifth straight loss). But wait … there’s more. Down 2-1 late in the third period, the Golden Knights scored twice in 10 seconds. David Perron scored into an empty net to cap the three-goal outburst in 53 seconds.

The Golden Knights continue to make history. Earlier this month, they captured their 34th victory of the season which was a new NHL record for most wins by a team in its inaugural season. They also became the third team to post 20 home wins in its inaugural season, joining the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80 (22) and the Los Angeles Kings in 1967-68 (20). They also matched the Whalers for most home wins by a team in its inaugural season. Their home record is still among the best in the NHL at 22-5-2 while they’re in a three-way tie for the least amount of regulation losses on home ice (five).

With 10 goals and 27 assists and 37 points, LW Johnny Gaudreau was No. 2 in the NHL for road points and behind only Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (15 goals and 25 assists) heading into Tuesday’s action … Flames injured G Mike Smith is on Calgary’s two-game swing as he recovers from a lower-body injury … Calgary head coach Glen Gulutzan confirmed RW Troy Brouwer will return to the lineup Wednesday, sporting a mask to protect his face which is healing from several fractures. “I feel good,” Brouwer said. “Skating the last week with a cage on obviously gives you a little sense of invincibility, I’ll say. But the pressure in my face is going. The swelling has gone down … There’s no throbbing, no pain, no nothing. So for me, I feel comfortable getting put into the lineup.” … G David Rittich starts versus the Golden Knights … The Flames dispatched LW Morgan Klimchuk to the AHL/Stockton Heat.

If you’re looking at doubling down on a potential Stanley Cup winner, perhaps you should think about betting on the Vegas Golden Knights. The expansion NHL team became the new betting favourite at the Westgate Superbook to win this year’s Stanley Cup at 9-2 odds according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Knights’ odds were as high as 500-1 prior to the 2017-18 season, one of the longest shots to win. “There was no interest, which totally makes sense for an expansion team,” Westgate sports book director Jay Kornegay told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Now it’s crazy to say they’re the favourite to hoist the Cup.” Heading into Tuesday’s action, the Golden Knights (39-16-4) had the best record in the National Hockey League.

The Knights missed their chance to become the first team to reach 40 victories this season. They were also shut-out for the third time this season and saw a three-game winning streak snapped with a 2-0 home ice loss to the Anaheim Ducks … Head coach Gerard Gallant is nine wins away from 200 in his career … RW/C Jonathan Marchessault leads the Golden Knights with 21 goals and 37 assists in 56 games … Vegas has a 24-3-0 record when scoring the first goal of the game … Heading into Tuesday’s action, they were No. 2 with an average of 3.39 goals for per game while their 65 goals against on home ice were the second-least in the NHL.

Lineups (www.dailyfaceoff.com). Subject to change:

FLAMES

Gaudreau - Monahan - Ferland
Tkachuk - Backlund - Frolik
Bennett - Jankowski - Hathaway
Brouwer - Stajan - Lazar

Giordano - Hamilton
Brodie - Hamonic
Stone - Kulak

Rittich

GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Marchesseault - Karlsson - Smith
Perron - Haula - Tuch
Carpenter - Eakin - Nosek
Hyka - Matteau - Lindberg

McNabb - Schmidt
Engelland - Sbisa
Miller - Hunt

Fleury


So, in addition to bringing their mothers as chaperones, Flames' brass sent an advance party to Sin City to soften things up. After blending in to the Vegas environment, the pWo set about their mission:

Spoiler!

Go Flams