GDT: 12/19/17 - 10:00PM EDT - Tampa Bay @ Vegas

[Bolt 45]

It is pretty hard to take Vegas' home record seriously. They play hard, but there's simply no way they've ever faced a team in their own building that wasn't nursing an ugly hangover. Certainly not yet. That may change as the novelty of the trip wears off around the league but... it's friggin' Vegas for crying out loud.

The Stammer and Kuch thing is what it is. I'm not sure there really is such a thing as a business trip to Vegas. Wonder if the guys had Coop's blessing to cut loose?

 

[JoVel]

A few random guys met by a HFBoards user probably isn't the most credible source out there. But even of that's true then I really don't care as long as it doesn't affect their game. Both Stamkos and Kuch had 2 points, not the reason we lost.

 

[Lightning1995]

More players with the flu explains plenty. Kinda hope Vasi was one of them, worst game he’s played all year. Just one game, want to see Vasi play well tonight. He’s the key to a cup run.

 

[Sky04]

Just got back to Tampa and I was talking to some Tampa fans at the airport in Vegas. Apparently a bunch of them were at the Four Seasons partying on Monday night. The guy said Stamkos and Kucherov were so drunk they could barely walk.

I get it’s Vegas and you want to party, but you’ve got a ****ing job to do. Completely inexcusable that the team is out ****ing partying the night before a game. Makes sense that we still looked drunk for game time.

Stamkos and Kuch were the least of our issues, 2 points each and multiple good chances, far from their uglier games.

Also hilarious to anyone downplaying Vegas like we're some sort of cup champions who knows what winning looks like.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Just got back to Tampa and I was talking to some Tampa fans at the airport in Vegas. Apparently a bunch of them were at the Four Seasons partying on Monday night. The guy said Stamkos and Kucherov were so drunk they could barely walk.

I get it’s Vegas and you want to party, but you’ve got a ****ing job to do. Completely inexcusable that the team is out ****ing partying the night before a game. Makes sense that we still looked drunk for game time.

So this is the real reason Vegas is good this year

 

[Bolt 45]

Stamkos and Kuch were the least of our issues, 2 points each and multiple good chances, far from their uglier games.

Also hilarious to anyone downplaying Vegas like we're some sort of cup champions who knows what winning looks like.

Las Vegas has a reputation. The Vegas hangover is kind of a thing. They made a movie about it, and it clearly resonated with people because it was successful enough to kickstart an entire franchise. That's all anyone's saying, and it's a valid question mark with regard to the Golden Knights' home record.

Unlike the organization in Vegas, ours actually has a Cup; most of the players on this team have been to the dance; and those of us who've followed this team for any length of time absolutely know what winning it all looks like.

We absolutely have the frame of reference necessary to differentiate between a legitimate contender and a burgeoning Cinderella story.

Ain't no glass slippers in Tampa right now.

 

[Sky04]

Las Vegas has a reputation. The Vegas hangover is kind of a thing. They made a movie about it, and it clearly resonated with people because it was successful enough to kickstart an entire franchise. That's all anyone's saying, and it's a valid question mark with regard to the Golden Knights' home record.

Unlike the organization in Vegas, ours actually has a Cup; most of the players on this team have been to the dance; and those of us who've followed this team for any length of time absolutely know what winning it all looks like.

We absolutely have the frame of reference necessary to differentiate between a legitimate contender and a burgeoning Cinderella story.

Ain't no glass slippers in Tampa right now.

What does a cup 13 years ago with no player on the current roster have anything to do with the current core and their 0 cups? Do you take winning advice from leafs or habs fans because their franchise has a ton of cups? I mean last I checked Vegas still gets home games in the playoffs as well.

 

[Bolt 45]

What does a cup 13 years ago with no player on the current roster have anything to do with the current core and their 0 cups? Do you take winning advice from leafs or habs fans because their franchise has a ton of cups? I mean last I checked Vegas still gets home games in the playoffs as well.

It means that a lot of us on this board have experienced a successful Cup run, and know what a legitimate contender looks like. I'm not saying Vegas isn't one, as I frankly haven't watched them enough to say one way or the other, but I do know that they benefitted from a poor call late in the game in order to squeak by a team that was battling the flu in addition to being very obviously hungover.

Furthermore, I doubt it's the first time they've faced a hungover team, which is why I'm not going to look at their home record and immediately tap them as a contender.

As for the playoffs, one would assume that a team in playoff mode is going to resist the urge to live it up in Vegas, whereas a team in midseason grind mode might not be able to.

 

[DFC]

Vegas is 14-2-1 at home, 8-7-1 on the road. Definitely a good team, but they definitely might be benefiting from this Vegas hangover thing.

 

[Hoek]

The only team they've played at home twice so far is Arizona (which they of course beat both times because it's Arizona). It'll be interesting to see what happens against better teams when the novelty has worn off. Let's see how it holds up in the second half of the season and next year.