The Calgary Flames are back in action Thursday night as they travel to Las Vegas to take on the Golden Knights. Calgary is coming off its first win of the season, a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/latest-news/calgary-flames-earn-first-win-of-the-season-with-4-2-victory-over-ducks] After opening the year 0-5-0, the Flames finally got rewarded for a more complete effort, showing better consistency at both ends of the ice. Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/71e16d19-62ba-4292-8c6f-067fba86847e.jpeg] Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images They will look to build on that performance against a much tougher opponent in Vegas. The Golden Knights enter Thursday’s matchup with a 6-2-0 record, sitting atop the Pacific Division. The Flames will also see a familiar face on the other side of the ice in defenceman Rasmus Andersson. The longtime Calgary blueliner was traded to Vegas last season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/latest-news/rasmus-andersson-signs-seven-year-59-5-million-extension-with-vegas-golden-knights] and will face his former team for the first time this season. Thursday’s contest marks the first of four meetings between the Flames and Golden Knights during the 2026-27 season. PROJECTED FLAMES LINEUP Calgary held an optional morning skate at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. With limited lineup information available, the Flames are expected to stick with the same combinations, according to Derek Wills. [https://x.com/dwillsnhl/status/2110811306035167285?s=46] FORWARDS Suniev – Frost – Coronato Sharangovich – Backlund – Farabee Gridin – Pospisil – Strome Tsyplakov – Castagna – Klapka DEFENCE Bahl – Nemec Kuznetsov – Whitecloud Middleton – Parekh GOALTENDERS Dustin Wolf (projected starter) Cooley WHAT TO WATCH The Flames will need another consistent effort to keep pace with a Vegas team that has gotten off to a strong start. Tuesday’s win in Anaheim was a positive step, but Calgary will be looking to show it can carry that performance [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/latest-news/flames-rookie-jonathan-costagna-rises-to-challenge-in-nhl-debut] into a difficult road matchup. For Dustin Wolf, the focus will be on building off the team’s first win and finding some stability early in the season. Meanwhile, the matchup against Andersson adds another storyline to a game that will test Calgary against one of the Pacific Division’s early frontrunners. The Flames have their first win behind them. Now, they will look to turn it into something more.
