JUST A BUSINESS TRIP
Visit to Las Vegas no big deal
No glitz. No glamour. When the Avalanche lands in Las Vegas to take on the expansion Golden Knights for the first time in franchise history Friday, there will be no parties on the Strip. This is a business trip.
“I think it’s an easy disconnect,” Avs defenseman Erik Johnson said of taking care of business in Sin City. “It’s just business as usual.”
The Knights — Las Vegas’ first major-league sports franchise — are off to a 7-1 start and stand third in the 15-team Western Conference with 14 points. They hope to extend their four-game winning streak to complete a seven-game homestand in which they have gone 5-1.
The Knights have brought a huge smile to a city shaken by the Oct. 1 mass shooting at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino that killed 59 people and injured hundreds of others. Friday’s game will begin at 3 p.m. local time on Nevada Day, a state holiday. It’s celebrated on the last Friday of October each year to commemorate Nevada’s frontier legacy and entry into the Union as the 36th state on Oct. 31, 1864.
“It is a business trip for us,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said after Thursday’s practice. “We’re going in there tonight. I’m sure the guys will go out for dinner and walk around a little bit. But it’s a 3 p.m. (PDT) game tomorrow afternoon and this is a top team in the league right now and playing real well at home with an extremely strong work ethic. So we got to be ready to go tomorrow, there’s no question.”
Colorado (5-4) is no stranger to Las Vegas. Up until this year, the Avs played an annual preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But this is different. Las Vegas has its own team, and the Knights are playing before sellout crowds at the new T-Mobile Arena.
“They’ve set themselves up for success this year with a quick start like that,” Avs center Matt Duchene said. “We’ve had years here where we’ve had good starts to the season and we’ve really been able to rely on that down the stretch. We’re expecting to go against a confident team, a team that’s feeling it.”
Vegas is getting outshot most games but is getting timely scoring and excellent goaltending. The Knights are averaging 29.9 shots per game, while allowing an average of 33.8.
“They did a real good job in the expansion process,” Bednar said of the Knights. “They’ve got some good players and they’re dangerous. When you mix their skill level and work ethic, I’m not real surprised. They’ve come together in a short period of time and have played really well.”