T-Mobile Arena gets full marks from me. I thought it was tremendous.
The arena itself is gorgeous, and it's in a prime position on the Las Vegas Strip. That can't be beat. Inside are some unique features, like the two bars that hang out over the upper level. There are also some very Vegas features, like the castle adorned with a giant knight helmet at one end of the building and a panorama of The Strip above it. It's got all the bells and whistles you'd expect in a new arena, too - a big, crystal clear video board, on-ice projection and a thumping sound system.
The game atmosphere was excellent - and it was a Tuesday night. The place looked full, and it was raucous at times. There were plenty of Vegas-like elements in the game presentation, like the story-based pregame introduction and the on-ice performance from their percussion line outfitted in pulsating LED lights (Drumbots) during the second intermission. It was different but a lot of fun from my perspective, and I can only imagine what it was like in the stands.
Even the players took note.
"Coming to a new building in a great city like this that looked pretty much full to me … and it sounded pretty full," Trevor van Riemsdyk said. "It wasn't hard to get up for this game, that's for sure."
"To face a new team in a new building in a new city, it was a fun atmosphere," Cam Ward said. "You can see why they have the record they do at home. They put on a pretty good show here. It was fun to be a part of."
The best part of Tuesday night's atmosphere was the hundreds of Canes fans in attendance. You made yourselves heard throughout the night; hearing a "Let's go Canes!" chant in a road building was a treat. I hope everyone had a great time. Maybe we do it again next year?
Tweet from @imbackinpogform: What kind of changes could the Hurricanes make to rise in the standings? i.e. trades, firings
This is a tough question because if there was an easy answer, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation, right? And here's the thing: maybe a move doesn't need to be made; maybe the answer is in the locker room. If there was a trade to make the team better, I'm sure it would happen. But, when you look at it, it's not as if the Canes have played poorly recently. They've had some rotten luck and have struggled with consistency, but they've done some good things that finally paid off in Vegas.
Tuesday night's win in Vegas, where visiting teams don't win too often, was huge. It was a good win in a tough building, and it swung some confidence back towards the Canes. Now, if the team can go into Buffalo and snag a win on Friday, you're looking at collecting six of a possible 12 points on this roadie. All things considered, that's not too bad for the longest trip of the season and keeps the team in a good position heading into the second half of the month.
And let's pull back for a second: as of Wednesday, the Canes are four points out of a playoff spot.
