Knights face showdown with Predators as NHL break looms

The Golden Knights players and coaches alike are ready for a vacation.

All that stands between them and the start of the All-Star break and the team’s ensuing bye week is a showdown against Western Conference power Nashville at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

“We have one more game, and then we have a lot of rest,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “We’re going to empty the tank and just leave it all out there. It’s a fun game to play. They’re a really good team and so are we.”

The All-Star break is considered the traditional midpoint of the season even though well over half of the games have been played. The Knights are tied for the league lead in games played with 51 and have already had 27 games away from home.

“Anytime is a good time to have our break,” forward Paul Stastny said. “It’s been such a busy stretch. Our division seems like we’ve played more games than the other divisions. Two or three games doesn’t seem that much, but when you’re playing a lot of back-to-backs with a lot of travel, it’s nice to get a little breather.”

Several players will be heading out on vacation. Nick Holden plans to spend time with his wife and four kids, including a newborn, after being on the road so much the past few months.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will get a late start on his vacation because he will be in San Jose, California, as the team’s lone participant in the All-Star Game.

Coach Gerard Gallant won’t be watching. He plans to go home to Canada to spend as much time with his grandchildren as possible before the Knights resume play on the road against the Hurricanes on Feb. 1.

“The coaches get tired, too,” he said. “You get ready for this next game and then I’m going to go home and take the hockey hat off for about five or six days. Then, I’ll be refreshed and ready to get to Carolina.”

Nate Schmidt may be the only member of the organization not thrilled about taking a few days off after being suspended for the first 20 games of the season.

“I kind of wish the break was farther back,” he said. “I’m just starting to feel the flow of the season. Usually this part of the year, you’re like, ‘I can’t wait to get to the break and get some time off.’

“For me, I want there to be more games. At the same time, I understand there’s a lot of guys in the room that want the break.”

That won’t stop Schmidt from enjoying himself. He’s having friends and family in town to play some golf.

The experience might be more enjoyable if the Knights beat the Predators, who own the same 29-18-4 record as the Knights, in Wednesday’s nationally televised showdown.

Paul Stastny has been around the league long enough to know it’s possible to get caught in a letdown spot in this type of situation, but he thinks it can actually work in a team’s favor.

“It’s almost easier to focus because you know you can just leave it all out there in order to try to end on a good note,” he said. “In football, you have a week between games so you always want to have a good game because it will be with you for awhile. This is like that. As a team, you really want the win so that you’re not pissed off about it for your whole break. You don’t want to have that sour taste in your mouth over a long extended break.”

“They’re a good team with that skill and work ethic that’s always tough to play against,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “By no means is it an easy matchup. We’re really going to have to work for it if we want it and we do want it.”

Then, it’s time to pack.

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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.