Knights hope dads give them ‘little extra buzz’ on annual road trip
Coach Bruce Cassidy thinks there’s nothing to it other than the Golden Knights just want to play well in front of their dads.
The Knights’ annual fathers trip starts out as a great way for everyone involved to make memories for a few days. By the end, the team typically earns a few wins.
This year’s trip begins Wednesday with a game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. It will continue with the Knights’ first visit to Delta Center for a meeting with the Utah Hockey Club on Friday.
The two-game swing gives the team a chance to get back to its winning ways after falling flat in a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at T-Mobile Arena on Monday, which snapped its eight-game home winning streak.
The Knights are 9-0-1 all-time when their dads tag along. That’s a good omen for a team that’s started 1-3-2 on the road this season.
“The simplest answer to me is everyone wants to make their parents proud,” Cassidy said. “Maybe we’ve got a real supportive group of dads. They seem like they all get along well.”
The dads haven’t just been good luck charms for the Knights. Their timing has been impeccable.
The Knights needed wins their last two dads trips. They swept the 2022-23 edition with wins in Nashville and Minnesota coming out of the All-Star break, halting a 1-5-2 slide.
The Knights also earned two wins on their dads trip last year to snap out of a 5-5-4 funk.
“It’s fun for all the dads to be around and have a little extra buzz going with the excitement,” left wing Brett Howden said.
Of course, the trip won’t fix all that ails the Knights. They’ve got plenty to clean up, especially in their defensive zone.
Goaltender Adin Hill was pulled for the first time this season against Carolina after giving up four goals on 21 shots. It was the eighth time in 10 starts this season Hill allowed three goals or more.
“Sometimes we don’t give him enough help and it’s one of those situations,” center William Karlsson said. “(It) always sucks when a goalie has to come out. We learn from it and try to go back on the horse again.”
The Knights hope to be traveling with captain Mark Stone as well as their dads. Stone has missed the team’s last two games with a lower-body injury. Cassidy seemed optimistic Monday that Stone would go to Anaheim with the team, but the Knights had yet to make a final determination.
The team is 0-1-1 without Stone, with a 4-3 overtime loss in Seattle on Friday to go with the setback against the Hurricanes.
Perhaps the dads can give the Knights a boost whether or not Stone is back in the lineup. History says it’s possible.
“You get a lot of fathers that in their generation have driven a lot of miles, stayed in a lot of hotel rooms over the years, so I think they probably appreciate that now,” Cassidy said. “I think our guys just want to play well for their dads. It’s as simple as that.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.