Every year we hear the same things about playoff hockey.
“There’s less space out there.”
“The referees put their whistles away.”
“It’s just different.”
Some of this may be anecdotal, but there’s no doubting the questions concerning how a player who hasn’t experienced it before will adjust. Do they even have to adjust? After the first two games of his first NHL playoff series, the Minnesota Wild’s prized rookie, Kirill Kaprizov, has been absent on the scoresheet.
With the first two games of the series taking place in Vegas, the Vegas Golden Knights have taken advantage of the benefits of getting the matchups they want.