LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Vegas Golden Knights traveled to Edmonton, Canada Sunday as the NHL transitions to Phase 4 of its Return to Play plan. And with it, the quest for the Stanley Cup resumes.
The players said despite the extra precautions being taken, the start to Phase 4 hasn't felt all that different from a typical playoff road trip. For the first few days in Edmonton, players are mostly quarantined to their own teams and areas. They're all wearing masks, getting regular COVID tests and temperature checks before hitting the ice for practice. Head coach Peter DeBoer said he's impressed with the league's attention to detail and says so far, life in the bubble feels safe and secure. He said the NHL's most recent round of testing that saw zero positive COVID tests just adds to the confidence level of the team.
"I had some skeptical days through the pause where you wondered if you would ever get to this point," he said, via a online media conference. "I think the fact that we're all here now you see everybody skating, game prep starting to ramp up, you feel like you're in a safe environment. It looked to me like we're going to get this done."
Exhibition games begin in Edmonton tomorrow but the Golden Knights don't play until Thursday night. They'll take on the Arizona Coyotes at 7pm. The team's first round robin game for seeding is next Monday against Dallas.
