Alex Ovechkin might have an answer to what we’ve all been wondering over the last few months:

Just how are these Vegas Golden Knights playing such good hockey?

Sitting first in the Pacific, the expansion team has shocked just about everyone with their stellar record of 32-12-4. But at home, their record becomes even more mind blowing, unless you subscribe to the Vegas flu theory.

The Knights own the best overall home record sitting 19-3-2 at T-Mobile Arena.


Vegas beat the Capitals 3-0 back on December 23, 2017. The Capitals captain was asked during all-star weekend as to why teams struggle so much when they come to Sin City.

Here’s the full answer:

“I think it’s the atmosphere over there,” Ovechkin said on a video posted on the Capitals website.

“It’s not a regular rink. It’s kind of like an unbelievable show, you get excited. It’s like you’re in a nightclub. It’s like a party. Everybody dancing over there. It’s like, ‘Holy Jesus, are we in a hockey game or is this like a pool party out there?’ They’re very, very tough to play against. They jump in right away. They have tremendous skill and tremendous speed. When you’re not ready, you’re going to be in a tough position.”

Ovechkin’s answer is pretty funny, but there’s also some truth to what he’s saying. After all, the rink is just steps away from the Vegas strip, which are littered with hotels and pool parties. 

When asked about the Caps chances of beating the Golden Knights in Washington, Ovi had a pretty good response, which illustrates just how good the Golden Knights have been this season.

The Vegas Flu has hit teams hard this season, but we can’t just assume that this is entirely the reason as to why they done so well.

The talent pool they picked their players from was very deep, and the team's brass chose a team that's are extremely fast and knows how dominate the neutral zone with their pass of play. Factor in a Jack Adams winning coach in Gerard Gallant, an all-star goaltender in Marc-Andre Fluery and a bunch of motivated players that are determined to let everyone know they weren’t just a bunch of tweeners, and you get the second best overall team in the league.

(h/t For the Win)