No nap, no problem; players adjusting to schedule change

The Golden Knights are going to tie an obscure franchise record when the puck is dropped for their round-robin game Thursday against St. Louis.

They’re going to match the most afternoon playoff games in team history.

The NHL has played at all hours of the day upon its return to make sure it fits in all its play-in and round-robin games in a timely fashion. That means there typically has been an early afternoon, late afternoon and night game each day at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

The Knights have had the middle slot for their first two round-robin games after playing before 5 p.m. local time just three times in their postseason history. They had two afternoon playoff games during their inaugural season and one in their first-round matchup with the San Jose Sharks last season.

“It’s a strange time slot,” Knights coach Pete Deboer said. “It’s something you have to get used to. With the format this year, you’re going to have to get ready to play at all different times of the day. It’s just one of the other things that’s going to get thrown at different groups, and it’s how you deal with it.”

Deboer said the 4:40 p.m. Mountain Time puck drop the Knights had Monday — and will have again Thursday — was too early to have a normal game-day routine but too late to treat it like an early afternoon game. He’s adjusted the team’s schedule when it comes to meetings and arriving at the rink in response to that.

Yet while players may resent having their usual game-day naps cut short or taken away, they seemed to adjust fine on Monday. The Knights rallied from a 3-1 deficit after two periods to defeat the Dallas Stars 5-3.

“Throughout most guys’ careers, we’ve been able to play at different times,” defenseman Nick Holden said. “Obviously your preparation is a little bit different in naps and eating and stuff like that. But when it comes down to it, you get to the rink around