Golden Knights take their show on the road as games get tighter

LAS VEGAS— A day after the NHL’s biggest surprise team lost a rare home game in front of the biggest crowd of the season, more than 10,000 fans flooded downtown Las Vegas for a Golden Knights fan fest.

That’s the kind of impact their record-shattering first half has had in the community.

The first-year Golden Knights lead the Western Conference with a re- cord of 29-10-3 (61 points).

Their current points percentage (.726) is higher than the midpoint of any expansion team in its inaugural season in the NBA (since 1961-62), MLB (1961) or the NFL/AFL (1960). That includes an incredible 18-2-2 record at T-Mobile Arena.

No NHL club in the expansion era (since 1967) has finished its inaugural season with a points percentage of .500 or higher.

“The players are a lot more confi- dent,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “We’ve had a great first half and we all know that. But the first half means nothing if you don’t pick it up in the second half.”

Following Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss against the Edmonton Oilers, Gallant said the league’s mandated bye week may have affected his players, some of whom enjoyed a welldeserved trip to Cabo San Lucas.

“It’s easy to say your team’s rested and you’re ready to jump, but when you have five days from your break, it’s tough to get going,” said Gallant, who again could be a finalist for the Jack Adams Award given to the league’s coach of the year.

Vegas is embarking on a crucial four-game road trip over six nights, beginning with Nashville on Tuesday. Defenceman Nate Schmidt believes the players have three seasons to worry about — the first and second halves, and the playoffs — so they must be ready to adjust at any given moment.

“Things are going to tighten up, they’re not as loose as things are in the first half of the year because teams start to find their lineup combinations, things on the ice,” said Schmidt, who already has a careerbest 19 points this season.

“For our guys, in order to continue, you rely on those guys that have been there, guys that know what it’s like to be there at the end of the year.”