Jack Eichel confirms ongoing rumour about rival teams playing in Vegas

It’s been said more than once in the past that NHL teams coming to Vegas to play the Golden Knights underperform playing against them due to the many distractions of Sin City. There is a very specific term for what takes over visiting teams when they get in Golden Knights’ territory and Jack Eichel confirmed it on the Pat McAfee right before the start of the postseason.

“Let’s just say, I’ve learned that the ‘Vegas Flu’ is a real thing,” Eichel said, with a laugh, when asked about the “Vegas Flu” phenomenon.

Eichel put out there what many thought was a joke around the league, but when you see how far the Golden Knights have made it, you have to wonder if the rumour is true.

“Playing here you talk to guys after the game about what you do the last few days. Some schedules [have] teams to be here three or four days prior to our game.

“They’ve had a nice little trip and it works in our favor that we get them at the end of a few long days in the Strip, playing cards and gambling and drinking,” he said, adding how he once smelled the booze on the breath of a rival player.

That’s quite the upper hand for the Golden Knights. Especially in the postseason! However, Eichel is aware that sometimes a coach can use the bad behaviour to make his team work harder for the win.

“You get a team that’s done that but then they’re playing guilty so they’re working even harder. I’m sure there are plenty of guys that have had guilty games here this season. We definitely know that going into games. We hear it from other people if guys have been out and what they’ve been doing.”

Eichel added : “Playing guilty, yeah. Maybe had a couple too many beers the night before and same thing. You don’t want to catch any heat so you’re working extra hard and you’re doing anything to help the team win that night.”

The Golden Knights currently have a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final and are now just one more win away from making it to another Stanley Cup Final.

In this series, it does not seem to matter where they play : the Golden Knights are dominant and it’s not just because of the Vegas Flu.

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