LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Golden Knights are back on the ice together for the first time since their 4-3 win at the Boston Bruins on Saturday, Feb. 8.
After a 10-day break for 4 Nations Face-Off in which many players took vacations, most VGK players returned to practice at City National Arena on Tuesday.
Others have been busy representing their home countries in Montreal, and now in Boston.
▶ Watch Hockey fans are ready to watch Vegas Golden Knights face off in 4 Nations rematch
Captain Mark Stone, goalie Adin Hill, and coach Bruce Cassidy are with Team Canada while star center Jack Eichel and D-man Noah Hanifin are on Team USA.
The U.S. face Canada Thursday night in the inaugural 4 Nations championship.
▶ Watch Players cheer on their fellow Golden Knights participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off
"We see it here on a daily basis first hand, every game, every practice, seeing them continue to do what they do on the stage they're on, it's impressive but it doesn't surprise us," forward Brett Howden said about seeing his teammates compete in 4 Nations. "It's cool to see the rivalry (between U.S. and Canada) still alive. It was an entertaining game to watch."
"I was in and out, didn't really watch a whole lot," said defenseman and Team Canada selection Alex Pietrangelo, who pulled out of the tournament to heal up from an ailment. "The kids were excited to watch the guys on our team play so I bet that was fun for them."
"I'm sure they're going to have a lot of their laughs, whoever wins and come back into the locker room and try to feed into the chaos," forward Keegan Kolesar said. "I'm sure once the guys come back from the tournament, they're going to be amped up. You kind of feed off that energy. "
"They haven't had a break, they've been playing very meaningful hockey," Kolesar added. "I assume some of them are saying it's some of the most important games of their lives. So for us when they bring that mentality back it's easy to gravitate towards."
VGK defenseman Shea Theodore suffered an upper-body injury in Canada's opening game against Sweden. The original misfit is set to miss some time.
When asked how other Vegas defensemen can step up in Theodore's absence, assistant coach John Stevens said skaters like Ben Hutton and Kaeden Korczak have stayed prepared for the moment. He envisions them rising to the occasion with more playing time.
The Golden Knights are tied with the Edmonton Oilers atop Pacific standings entering the last couple months of the regular season.
With four days of practice to get back in the swing of things, the VGK players who are back in town from the break are ready to dial back in before 4 Nations players return.
"For us that are here, it's about getting the reps in because they've been playing games ever since," Kolesar said. "We're going to take every day and chop away at it as much as we can."
"Sucks getting out there because it's hard when you haven't skated in a while but getting back with the guys, the camaraderie was fun," Pietrangelo said about the team getting back to practice. "It was good seeing everybody this morning. Everyone got here early. It's getting our brains back into it but also getting the feel of the game."
"It's good getting back to it," Howden said. "Getting the feeling back. Getting a little sweat in too. Good to feel it a bit and gear up again and start going."
"Obviously the break is spectacular and you want to enjoy those moments but the vacations, you grinded all season to get there," Kolesar added. "We had it, it's great, now that we're back, this final stretch, less than two months right, that right there helps you get excited."
The Golden Knights will get back to game action on Saturday night at the Fortress when they host the Vancouver Canucks.
