5 Things - Flames vs. Golden Knights 

1. Down To Two

Today's Flames preview is presented by the number two.

It's the number of points Calgary is seeking this evening against Vegas.

It's the number of points by which the Flames trail the St. Louis Blues in the wild card chase.

And it's the number of games left in Calgary's regular season.

That all blends together for a Super Tuesday - or TWOS-day, as the Flames close out their regular season home schedule against the Golden Knights.

It's another must-win game for Calgary - the latest in a long series of must-win games - but after Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Sharks, there remains a glimmer of hope.

A raison d'être for a continued post-season push.

For Ryan Huska, the preparation stays the same, and he's optimistic his club will build on both their win over San Jose, but also their effort the last time Vegas visited, 10 days ago.

"We’ll do things the same way. Coaches will look at game plans to see if we can do anything different, but the last time we played them in here, we were better than what we were when we played them in Vegas," the Flames head coach said. "We have to use our building to our advantage, and we have to make sure the building has energy based on the way we play, and we have energy based on the way the building is."

Tonight, of all nights though, is the evening the Flames will hope to get some help on the out-of-town scoreboard (see Section 3 below).

They've been doing their part. Calgary has collected at least a point in six straight games, and 12 of their last 14 (a 9-2-3 stretch overall, dating back to a 2-1 win over the Rangers Mar. 18).

"I think we might have one of the better records in the league since 4 Nations" said Huska. "I mentioned Mikael (Backlund) being driven, I feel like our team is right now. No matter what the situation is, they’re not throwing a towel in if we’re down, if we’re up, they’re going to continue to grind.

"I like the way they’re playing right now. I just feel like that belief that they’ve built over the course of the year is at its strongest right now."

This evening, they'll try and do it again.

And get by (with a little help from their friends).

2. Know Your Enemy

The Golden Knights have clinched the Pacific Division - doing so for the fourth time in their eight-year history - and come to town this evening to play the first of a Canadian back-to-back that winds up in Vancouver tomorrow evening.

Former Flames defenceman Noah Hanifin had the winner for Vegas in their last game, a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators that saw the home side score three times in the second period to break the contest open.

Vegas is a win away from 50 on the campaign, and still have a shot at matching their franchise best - the team collected 51 victories on two prior occasions.

Jack Eichel leads the team with 93 points (27G, 66A), though he has missed each of the Golden Knights' last three games.

Pavel Dorofeyev has a team-best 33 tucks this season (more on him below), while Tomas Hertl is also enjoying his third season of 30 goals or more (he's at 31 entering play tonight).

Vegas will face the first Western Conference Wild Card team in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

3. Wild Card Update

In addition to tonight's Flames/Golden Knights tilt, both the Wild and Blues are in action Tuesday, both in their regular season finales, too.

Minnesota plays host to the Anaheim Ducks, while St. Louis is back home to take on the Utah Hockey Club.

The Flames need the Wild to lose in regulation time, or the Blues to get any result except a regulation win to retain a chance of catching either club.

Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the three teams in play:

Minnesota Wild (44-30-7, 95 points)

• Apr. 15 vs. Anaheim Ducks

St. Louis Blues (43-30-8, 94 points)

• Apr. 15 vs. Utah Hockey Club

Calgary Flames (39-27-14, 92 points)

• Apr. 15 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
• Apr. 17 at Los Angeles Kings

4. Fast Facts

2024-25 Season Series

The Flames and Golden Knights meet for the fourth and final time in this season's series this evening, with Calgary having collected a point in their most recent encounter, Apr. 5 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Joel Hanley and Matt Coronato scored for the Flames that evening, helping the locals erase a two-goal deficit, but Reilly Smith's second goal of the game 4:31 into overtime stood up as the decider.

Calgary has collected seven of a possible 10 points from their last five home meetings with Vegas, a stretch dating back to the 2022-23 campaign.

Two New Guys

The Flames announced the signings of NCAA players Arsenii Sergeev and Carter King Monday to two-year and one-year deals, respectively.

Sergeev, a seventh-round selection by Calgary in 2021, recently helped Penn State reach its first-ever Frozen Four tournament, standing out as one of the top netminders in all of college hockey over the second half of the campaign.

King - who hails from Calgary - recently captained Denver to its third Frozen Four appearance in the past four years. The former Calgary Buffaloes centre had 21 goals and 43 points for the Pioneers this season, and will report to the AHL's Wranglers on an amateur try-out agreement as they prepare for post-season play.

5. Players to Watch

Flames - Mikael Backlund

Backlund has saved his best hockey of the season for the most important stretch of the campaign.

Indeed, the captain sure seems to have found an extra gear since returning from a six-game injury absence, and recent results prove it.

He put up a crucial assist on Matt Coronato's third period marker Sunday against San Jose, and enters tonight's tilt with Vegas having collected five points (2G, 3A) over his last five games.

Golden Knights - Pavel Dorofeyev

It's been a breakout season for Dorofeyev, who has appeared in all 80 regular season contests for Vegas this year.

He's scored a team-high 33 goals in 2024-25, and the 24-year-old has also eclipsed the 50-point mark for the first time in his NHL career.

Dorofeyev's last goal came in the Golden Knights' 3-2 OT win at the Scotiabank Saddledome 10 days ago.