Crowd energy, glitzy entertainment make Vegas one of tougher road games of season

LAS VEGAS – Barry Trotz was walking out of T-Mobile Arena after the Islanders’ practice on Friday, thinking about winning the Stanley Cup in the building with the Capitals in 2018, when he turned to his assistant coaches.

“If you’re ever going to win, you want to win in Vegas,” Trotz told them.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Trotz added. “Obviously, the afterparty was exceptional. That started three or four days without sleep. I had an 8:15 bus [the next morning] and got back around 8 o’clock and I threw myself in the shower because I still smelled like sour beer and I took my wet clothes and all my stuff and threw it in the suitcase and ran downstairs.”

The stakes, of course, were different as the Islanders continued a four-game western road trip on Saturday night against the Golden Knights following a 5-0 loss at Nashville on Thursday.

But the city had not changed. There are plenty of distractions, from the casinos to the shows. Nashville, too, has a reputation for its music-and-bar based nightlife.

“I don’t think that was a problem for our group,” Trotz said. “It can be for some teams and some players, no question. They are hard cities sometimes, there’s lots going on. But the guys are pretty good now. They don’t run like the guys used to.”

Veteran left wing Matt Martin described the Islanders as a “mature group” and that even the younger players were “responsible, their focus is on the game.”

But even without the off-ice distractions, Vegas is typically one of the harder road games of the season.

Vegas has embraced the Golden Knights, now in their third season after losing to Trotz’s Capitals in a five-game Stanley Cup final in their expansions season, and the crowds at T-Mobile Arena are typically among the loudest in the league. It’s a different atmosphere than many NHL buildings, with jousts and glitzy entertainment throughout the game.

Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena is similar, minus the medieval jousts.

“They’re for sure in the top five of the toughest places to win a road game,” Derick Brassard said. “Not only because there’s the distractions – it’s Nashville, Smashville, Vegas – the buildings, the fans, how loud they are. You’ve got to try and find a way to play your game.”

“It’s just part of what we have to do, both are tough buildings to play in,” Martin said. “They love their team here. Don’t get me wrong, we love the atmosphere, the vibe of these cities. You’ve got to find a way to keep them under control, especially early in games. You want to kind of kill the energy and control the tempo.”

That’s something the Islanders were unable to do at Nashville, as the Predators scored 35 seconds into the first period and three times in the first 13:33 on their way to a lopsided win that left Trotz fuming about his team’s mistakes and lack of execution.

It was rainy and chilly while the Islanders were in Nashville. The weather was sunny and warm – compared to New York – in Vegas.

And Trotz said that was another potential distraction.

“It’s sunny, you lose your edge sometimes, that bite,” Trotz said. “It’s cold and nasty in Winnipeg and that’s how you feel and you play that way. Sometimes, you come out to California and it’s sunny, or Arizona, it’s nice and it sometimes reflects in your game.”

The Islanders did go 0-2-1 on their California trip in November.

They face the Coyotes on Monday afternoon after a day off in Arizona on Sunday. The trip ends Wednesday at Colorado.

Trotz is likely hoping for snow.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.