GOLDEN KNIGHTS ARE UNDERDOGS TONIGHT
affected by this terrible tragedy, and we are going to do the best we can every time we’re out there to make people proud of Las Vegas,” Merrill said.
Sports can heal, even if only for the few hours the game is going on as a distraction. Competition can have the same healing effect on the players.
“We’ve all been thinking about it for days,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “You feel awful for the people that were lost. So when you get out there on the ice and get back to work, you can get away from it for a couple hours.”
Vegas enters its first game as a plus-205 betting favorite, which is something the Golden Knights will see a lot of this season since expansion franchises traditionally struggle. Dallas is coming off a disappointing season where it missed the playoffs, but with the additions of Ben Bishop, Marc Methot, Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov, the Stars expect to be much improved.
Just don’t count out the motivated Golden Knights. They understand the significance of this one game.
“(Las Vegas) is a big city but it has a small-community feeling,” said Deryk Engelland, one of the team’s captains and a Las Vegas resident for more than a decade since playing for the minor league Las Vegas Wranglers. “I think the city will grow together with this and be stronger.” jesse.granger@lasvegassun. com / 702-259-8814 / @ Jessegranger_