Coach Bruce Cassidy darted out of his postgame press conference at T-Mobile Arena a few minutes early on Saturday night, shouting back at the assembled media “See you in three weeks!”
The Golden Knights had a plane to catch.
The Knights, after a season-long, seven-game homestand, return to the road at 5 p.m. Sunday when they visit Arizona’s Mullett Arena for the first time. It’s not often a team looks forward to leaving home. But the Knights, who are 14-13 at T-Mobile Arena and 15-3-2 on the road, see the merits right now.
“I never thought we’d say that about two months ago,” Cassidy said Saturday morning, before the Knights’ 6-2 win against the Washington Capitals. “I think we do need it. Clearly, we haven’t performed here the way we wanted to, so maybe a change of scenery will get the guys closer together.”
The Knights’ stop in Arizona starts a four-game road trip that will take them to the All-Star break.
Their first stop is a unique one. The Coyotes left their previous home in Gila River Arena this year for Mullett Arena, which they share with Arizona State’s hockey program. The franchise is hoping to build a new rink of its own in the Tempe, Arizona, area.
Until then, the Coyotes will play in the 5,000-seat college barn. It provides a unique atmosphere for fans, who are much closer to the action than they are in any other NHL rink.
The rebuilding Coyotes also aren’t too picky about their venue right now. Arizona has the fourth-fewest points in the NHL (33) and is 1-11-0 in its last 12 games. The Coyotes’ lone win in that stretch came in a shootout. They’re trying their hardest to secure a top pick in the 2023 NHL draft, which is headlined by superstar forward prospect Connor Bedard.
The Knights have already contributed to Arizona’s poor place in the standings by winning their first two meetings of the season. A win would secure a sweep of the season series.
Lineup and starting goaltender information was not immediately available.
Knights vs. Coyotes (5 p.m.)
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)
Line: Knights -185, total 6
Knights record: 29-16-2
Coyotes record: 14-27-5
Head-to-head: Knights 2-0-0
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
