Andy Clayton-King / AP
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith (19) is congratulated by defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (7) and center William Karlsson (71) after playing in the third phase of an NHL hockey game on Wednesday May 5, 2021 scored a goal against the Minnesota Wild. in St. Paul, Minn. The Golden Knights won 3-2 in extra time.
Sunday, May 16, 2021 | 2 a.m
The Golden Knights begin the playoffs today at noon against the Minnesota Wild in their first home game in more than two years.
Last season, due to the pandemic, the postseason took place in a neutral location in Edmonton. The pandemic also limited capacity at the T-Mobile Arena this season, but as restrictions are eased across the city, the Strip venue should be home to around 8,600 fans for the first game in the best-of-seven game series have a capacity of almost 50%.
“It is without a doubt the most exciting time of the season,” said striker Reilly Smith. “Everyone in our organization and in our locker room has been expecting this moment all year round.”
The Golden Knights have welcomed the fans again since March. Capacity increased slowly, peaking at 7,567 in the last three home games.
The last playoff game in the T-Mobile Arena was Game 6 against the Haie on April 21, 2019. San Jose’s coach for this game? Current head of the Golden Knights bank, Pete DeBoer.
San Jose won that game in double overtime, but DeBoer remembered how bad the Sharks were in the other games. He lost 6-3 in Game 3 and 5-0 in Game 4. He has trained two playoff series as a visitor and is looking forward to his first run as an exercise bike.
“Eight or 9,000 at T-Mobile feels like 8,000 at some other ice rink,” DeBoer said. “We’re just excited to be preparing for the new major season and being able to play in front of our home crowd to open it.”
Eight of the Golden Knights who are expected to get dressed are playing the Golden Knights in their first home game. Some made it to the Western Conference finals with Vegas last season, but that was in an empty arena as part of the playoff bubble.
“The building seemed full from the first game with a few thousand players,” said defender Alex Pietrangelo. “It’s always fun to start at home because you get that energy right away, especially this year when people are just hungry to cheer. Hopefully we can provide them with this great entertainment. “
Vegas and Minnesota are more than familiar with each other, having played eight times in the regular season – most recently on May 5th. The Wild ended on a 5-2-1 record, but the Golden Knights know it doesn’t matter if they’re backing business in the playoffs. It’s a simple strategy: win every game at home and win the series.
“There’s also a lot more excitement to be able to play at this stage, especially when we have a lot more fans in our building. That will definitely be a big factor, ”said Smith. “This was our first goal to reach the playoffs. Of course we have high standards for ourselves and we have a long way to go, but it is through Minnesota. “
