Boston Bruins fans will be ready to go when the puck drops against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. It's their first chance to face familiar foe Mitch Marner in his new jersey, and it's also the first time facing Jack Eichel after his contract extension, which ruined any dreams that fans had of the Massachusetts native coming home in free agency next summer. Unfortunately, there's reason to believe that the players' start might be a bit slower than usual.
The Bruins are flying to Las Vegas today. They'll have a couple days of team bonding before playing the Golden Knights on Thursday.
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) October 13, 2025
Casey Mittelstadt: "Not a much better place to bond than Las Vegas."
The Vegas Flu was a hot topic in the Golden Knights' first season in the league. They were a formidable opponent at home, a reputation many attributed to the fact that opposing teams got to explore the city for the first time as visiting teams. It created plenty of content when the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in Vegas in their inaugural season, but it seems like some of the talks of those team parties started dying down as the seasons went on.
While the hype of jetting to Vegas isn't as loud, the Golden Knights' home record has never dipped. They were 29-10-2 in their first season, and have never lost more than 15 games in regulation. Last season was another excellent season with a 29-9-3 mark. It helps their home record that Vegas is always going all-in to win and has never had a bad team since their inception, but there's something to be said for them having one of the best road cities as well.
NHL teams rarely have opportunities to bond during the regular season. The typical itinerary involves flying into a city in the early morning hours, followed by a morning skate and a game the next day, before flying out again. The players appreciate spending an extra day in a city, and the Bruins' decision to bring their players to Vegas a day early is likely a planned effort to foster camaraderie among the group. The decision has former players like Marco Sturm, Cam Neely, and Don Sweeney written all over it.
The question now is whether the current roster takes a cue from their coaches' and front office's playing days and puts forth a reasonable effort, albeit while playing guilty. While many would write the Bruins off in this scenario, don't be too surprised if they put forth a solid effort in the first game of the road trip. It's a good measuring stick to see where they fall this season after a decent effort to make Monday afternoon's game close.