The Golden Knights utilized their five-day break to the best of their abilities.
Some players went to the Chris Stapleton and George Strait concert Saturday at Allegiant Stadium. The team had its Christmas party Sunday.
Then came two days of lively practice where the vibes were good. It was a well-deserved rest after the Knights got through a hectic November, then started December with a three-game winning streak, with victories against two of their bigger rivals in Edmonton and Dallas.
Now comes the feeling of “here we go again.”
The Knights (18-7-3) begin a three-game road trip over the next four days Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets (21-9-0) at Canada Life Centre. The Knights wrapped up 10 games in 17 days from Nov. 20 to Dec. 6 that featured three back-to-back games.
The good news for the Knights is this is the final time they will have a stretch like this until mid-January. They will close out 2024 with six games over the final three weeks.
“We have had time to recover,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I thought it was right for us because of the intensity of our schedule early on, so we needed it. It came at a good time for us. Hopefully they have lots of energy in the third periods. That’s what rest does for you. It should give you some legs each night.”
The Knights have every right to feel good about where they’re at.
Surviving without Stone
They went 8-4-2 in a stacked November that included a season-long five-game road trip in which they earned seven of a possible 10 points. Twelve of those games came without captain Mark Stone because of a pulled muscle in his lower body.
The Knights went 14 games without one of their leading scorers (22 points in 14 games), but they went 8-4-2 in Stone’s absence, including wins in the first two games of December.
The Knights will be in Edmonton on Saturday, then end the trip Sunday against another top Central Division team, the Minnesota Wild.
Stone had an assist in 19:25 in his return Friday in the 3-2 win over the Stars.
“I felt good going into it,” Stone said. “It was nice to get back into a familiar spot and just play.”
The Knights also head into this trip with their whole lineup intact.
Defenseman Zach Whitecloud was a full-contact participant at practice Tuesday after missing the past seven games with an upper-body injury. Should Whitecloud return Thursday — a strong possibility that the Manitoba native will play at home — it will be the first time this season the Knights have their whole lineup available.
“He’s taking another step getting in a normal jersey,” Cassidy said. “He’s trending for this weekend.”
Expect Hellebuyck
The Knights should expect to see a different Jets team than the one they saw two weeks ago.
The 4-3 win on Nov. 29 at T-Mobile Arena was, at the time, the Knights’ best win of the season given Winnipeg’s place in the standings. That was part of four straight losses for the Jets, who went 3-7-0 after starting the season 15-1-0.
Winnipeg has turned the corner with three wins in its past four games.
The Knights faced backup goalie Eric Comrie in that late November win. It’s almost a given that reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck will start this time around.
But it hasn’t mattered who’s in net for the Jets. The Knights have dominated Winnipeg in the Cassidy era. They’re 7-0 dating back to October 2022 and have won 11 of the past 12 meetings, including the five-game, first-round series win in 2023.
The Knights have averaged 4.41 goals in the past seven regular-season meetings with Winnipeg and have outscored the Jets 31-17.
“They’re obviously a really good team, and they have a lot of skill,” left wing Victor Olofsson said. “I think we played a disciplined game that night, and we’ve got to do it again. It’s probably going to be even tougher.”
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Golden Knights at Jets
When: 5 p.m. Thursday
Where: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KKGK (1340 AM, 98.9 FM)
Line: Jets -125; total 6
