Sat Dec. 23 Washington Capitals vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights
Time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: NBC Sports Washington, ATTSN-RM
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
Las Vegas Golden Knights 46-22-9-2 Last Game: Won 4-3 against Lightning
Washington Capitals 45-22-12-2 Last Game: OT 3-2 against Coyotes
8-
Ovechkin 19-
Bäckström 43-
Wilson 13-
Vrana 92-
Kuznetsov 77-Oshie 65-
Burakovsky 20-
Eller 10-
Connolly 18-
Stephenson 83-
Beagle 25-Smith-Pelly 9-
Orlov 2-
Niskanen 29-Djoos 74-
Carlson 44-
Orpik 22-
Bowey 31-
Grubauer 70-
Holtby (starter)
-- SCRATCH -- 4-Chorney
79-
Walker
39-
Chaisson -- INJURED -- -- 1st Powerplay Unit -- 77-Oshie 19-
Bäckström 92-
Kuznetsov 8-
Ovechkin 74-
Carlson -- 2nd Powerplay Unit -- 39-Chaisson 20-
Eller 13-
Vrana 2-
Niskanen 9-
Orlov Referees: Dave Jackson (#
8) Jake Brenk (#
26)
Linesmen: Ryan Gibbons (#
58), Bevan Mills (#
53)
By Isabelle Khurshudyan December 23 at 10:45 AM
The Caps aren’t spending much time in Las Vegas. That’s probably a good thing.
The Golden Knights home-field advantage extends beyond their arena. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun)
GLENDALE, Ariz. — It seemed like a scheduling nightmare at first. In the last game before the NHL’s Christmas break, the Washington Capitals are playing on the opposite side of the country, and it’s the second game in as many nights, too. Friday night’s puck drop against the Arizona Coyotes was at 7 p.m. Mountain time and Saturday night’s game in Las Vegas starts at 5 p.m. Pacific time, an especially short turnaround. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights haven’t played since Tuesday.
Could it be a blessing in disguise?
The Golden Knights boast an impressive home record of 14-2-1, which has pushed the team to an unprecedented place in its first season, second in the Pacific Division and among the league’s top teams. One of those regulation losses came against the Detroit Red Wings, who, like the Capitals, didn’t have much time in the city because they were playing in the second game of a back-to-back set. The Carolina Hurricanes escaped Sin City with a shootout victory, and they too had played a game the night before. Sensing a trend?
“Because they didn’t have a chance to go out?” Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik said. “Maybe.”
Only the Dallas Stars have won a game at T-Mobile Arena after first spending a full evening off in Las Vegas. Washington’s game against Arizona went to overtime Friday night, further delaying the team’s departure, and the 5 p.m. puck drop Saturday means players won’t get to see much of Las Vegas.
[Capitals unable to close out Coyotes and fall in overtime, 3-2] “Most of the guys have been to Vegas at some point or another,” Coach Barry Trotz said.
It’s far from the only distracting city in the league, and teams tend to handle those destinations differently. If a team is playing the Florida Panthers, it could choose to stay in downtown Fort Lauderdale or near the rink in Sunrise, where there are considerably fewer attractions than nearby Miami. Washington stayed in Glendale during this recent trip to Arizona, rather than the more lively Scottsdale.
When the Stars had a game in Vancouver earlier this season with a few off days in between, Coach Ken Hitchcock chose to stay in idyllic Kelowna, British Columbia. After all, Vancouver is home to what’s known as the
“Roxy flu,” an affliction that has hit visiting players who have enjoyed the city’s nightlife a little too much.
“They can try to make it difficult for guys,” Orpik said. “But certain guys, if they want to find something, they’ll find it no matter what you do. It comes down to each individual really. I know some coaches don’t like giving complete off days if you go to those places, but I don’t know. Guys are adults and this is your job.”
Orpik said it is largely on players to police themselves, and as the most veteran player in Washington’s locker room, he has no hesitation pointing out that if the team is playing three games in four nights, perhaps that one off night should be spent quietly. “I think it’s always kind of been a balance, trying to enjoy that part of your job and obviously be professional and responsible,” Orpik said.
As the former longtime coach of the Nashville Predators, Trotz knows firsthand the effect playing in a alluring city can have. Trotz joked that while Vancouver may have the Roxy, Nashville has the infamous honky-tonk Tootsie’s, just across the street from Bridgestone Arena.
“I found in Nashville, for a number of years, just the way the schedule worked sometimes, teams would come into Nashville, stay overnight, and then they would go on to Dallas or Columbus because Columbus used to be in the West,” Trotz said. “I could tell you if the team stayed overnight in Nashville, that it was a huge advantage for Dallas or Columbus back in the day. There is something to be said about that. You lose a little focus.”
The Golden Knights have a formidable team, even without a distracting city possibly lending a hand. This most-recent expansion draft format provided a significantly better talent pool than first-year teams have had in the past, and while Vegas may not have an Alex Ovechkin-like talent on the team, the Golden Knights have “three good No. 2 lines,” Trotz said. That alone presents a matchup challenge, especially after Vegas General Manager George McPhee took many teams’ fourth-best defenseman in the expansion draft this summer.
“They’re not big, sexy names, but they’re really good players,” Trotz said. It’s the city that brings the sex appeal, and at least the Capitals won’t have to contend much with that.
