One of the biggest — and most entertaining — surprises of this NHL season has been the remarkable performance of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in their first year of play.
Underscoring their overall success is the seemingly nightly triumphs at home. The Golden Knights entered the All-Star break going 19-3-2 at T-Mobile Arena while holding the top spot in the Western Conference by two points.
Among Vegas’ many wins at home includes a 3-0 runaway win over the Washington Capitals two days before Christmas. And though over a month later, Caps star Alex Ovechkin weighed in during All-Star Weekend on why teams are struggling to win in Sin City, and it’s a pretty incredible analysis.
“I think it’s the atmosphere over there,” Ovechkin said, via ForTheWin. “It’s not a regular rink. It’s kind of like an unbelievable show, you get excited. It’s like you’re in a nightclub. It’s like a party. Everybody dancing over there. It’s like, ‘Holy Jesus, are we in a hockey game or is this like a pool party out there?’ They’re very, very tough to play against. They jump in right away. They have tremendous skill and tremendous speed. When you’re not ready, you’re going to be in a tough position.”
Though comical, Ovechkin certainly has a valid point. Mere steps away from the Las Vegas strip, it’s understandable that some players may get a bit carried away during their quick stop in Vegas.
Either way, we’re sure the Golden Knights and their fans don’t have any issues with whatever opposing teams are doing while in town, so long as it keeps resulting in wins for the home team.
