The Vegas Golden Knights get three players back from injured reserve just as they start a grueling stretch of 18 games in 33 days. Forwards Brandon Saad and Colton Sissons and defenseman Brayden McNabb were activated Tuesday before the team flew to Los Angeles for Wednesday’s game against the Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

But the Knights will be without Olympians Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin for the opener. Both are with Team USA at the White House for the State of the Union address. Coach Bruce Cassidy expects them to rejoin the team Friday in Washington.

“They’re going to go and enjoy that moment,” Cassidy said. “They deserve it. They earned it.”

The status of three Canadian Olympians — captain Mark Stone, winger Mitch Marner and defenseman Shea Theodore — remains uncertain. Cassidy said the team is giving them the option to rest after losing the gold medal game to the U.S.

“We have to talk to Mitch, Theo and Mark,” Cassidy said. “Having a break could help us short term and long term. … It could hurt your roster tomorrow night obviously when you’re taking five world-class players out, but if you look at the big picture, it is something we are considering.”

McNabb, who hadn’t missed a game since March 2022 before suffering an upper-body injury Dec. 31, said the time off allowed him to reset. “It’s part of the game,” he said. “You never want to get hurt at all, but at the same time, it happens and gives you a chance to reset and build your strength back up however you can to make sure you’re ready to go.”

Saad, out since Jan. 8 with an undisclosed injury, has seven points this season and is 26 games from 1,000 in his career. Sissons, out since Jan. 14, has six points in 41 games. “I feel pretty good,” Saad said. “It’s been a long time, but I’m feeling ready to go now.”

The Knights hold a four-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers for first in the Pacific Division. The Kings, three points out of a wild-card spot, will debut winger Artemi Panarin, acquired from the New York Rangers on Feb. 5. Panarin has 927 career points in 804 games.

McNabb acknowledged the challenge of facing a motivated team with a new star. “It’s probably going to be most everyone around the league,” he said. “It’s quite a bit of time off for a lot of guys. I’m sure it’ll feel rusty to start, but by the second half of the game, guys will start feeling better.”