Brock Nelson remembers the \u201cDeath Valley\u201d road trip all too well.<\/p>\n
Forgive him if he has the odd nightmare or two about it.<\/p>\n
Nelson\u2019s first trip to California as an NHL player came in early December of 2013. Back then, the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks were all among the top Stanley Cup contenders in the NHL.<\/p>\n
It was one of the hardest road trips for any NHL team. Nelson\u2019s new team might be part of something similar in the near future.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt always felt like we would have three (games) in four (days),\u201d Nelson said. \u201cThe Kings were obviously so tough to play against. The Ducks had all those big guys.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were games, especially at the Shark Tank, where we just wanted to survive the first period. There was a game where we got outshot like low 20s to three or four, and it was only 1-0 and we were all sitting there saying, \u2018Great job. Way to survive it.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
His New York Islanders team had to play the California teams on the road in rapid succession on his first \u201cDeath Valley\u201d trip. The results? A 3-0 loss in Los Angeles, a 5-2 defeat in Anaheim and then a late rally to salvage a 3-2 shootout win in San Jose despite being outshot 48-28.<\/p>\n
It was a pretty simple situation. Teams from the East Coast flew across the country, enjoyed the warm temperatures, maybe a quick trip to the beach and the food \u2026 then tried not to get embarrassed before heading back to the cold weather.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we went out there and got one, it was, \u2018Alright, not bad.\u2019 And if we got two, it was incredible,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cThat was always a tough, like, measuring stick trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
The peak of the \u201cDeath Valley\u201d era was from 2010-16. San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles were all in the top 10 in the NHL in regular-season points across that span. One of those three teams won the West, either in the regular season or playoffs, in five of those six seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetween L.A. and us, and even though San Jose might not have the Stanley Cup to prove it, they were especially at home a really hard team to play against,\u201d said Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri, who played for Anaheim from 2010-15. \u201cYou went into the Shark Tank and it felt like they had seven guys on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
During that period of NHL history, the Colorado Avalanche was an isolated franchise. The Phoenix Coyotes were about 760 miles away in Glendale, Ariz. The Dallas Stars were about 800 miles away.<\/p>\n
Then, the geography of the NHL changed.<\/p>\n
Las Vegas was awarded a team, which began play in 2017. Salt Lake City welcomed the club formerly known as the Coyotes in 2024.<\/p>\n
Denver now has other NHL clubs in close proximity. That means it\u2019s easier for the NHL to cluster those games in a shorter amount of time.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not a fun road trip, at least on the ice.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Palmieri said last week when asked if Vegas-Utah-Colorado could be the new \u201cDeath Valley.\u201d \u201cJust having gone through Vegas and Utah, those are both hard places to play. They come out buzzing. Our first period against Utah, we were lucky enough that (David Rittich) had a really good first period, or it easily could have been 4-0, 5-0.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s the travel, the time zone change, and it\u2019s three really good teams. We know we have to be ready to go at the start against (the Avs).\u201d<\/p>\n
The trio of stops needs a clever nickname. Utah is the key, both in being a middle stop for a three-games-in-four-nights gauntlet and because the Mammoth are an improving club with a bright future.<\/p>\n
Colorado won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and has collected the most points in the NHL since the start of the 2019-20 season. Vegas won the Stanley Cup in 2023 and has the fifth-most points in that span.<\/p>\n
The Avs have the altitude. The Golden Knights have the spectacle at T-Mobile Arena and, well, the distractions of Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
Utah has the excitement of being a new franchise, with a newly renovated arena that puts fans right on top of the ice in the lower bowl. Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood said after the morning skate at Delta Center earlier this season that he was going to be looking into fans\u2019 eyeballs that night.<\/p>\n
If the Mammoth keep improving and become one of the best teams in the league, having to play those three teams in short order is going to give opposing players nightmares.<\/p>\n
\u201cVegas is a tough place to play. Utah has an incredible rink and atmosphere,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cThat\u2019s an up-and-coming team, tons of talent and speed. I mean, they\u2019re dangerous right now. We are obviously good. You can even toss in Dallas, like the Islanders just had to go there as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they came in here, they said it was a tough trip for them, and a good measuring stick. It\u2019s different, but also similar if the schedule matches up like that, it is a hell of a trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Buffalo Sabres only had to play two-thirds of this trio last week. They\u2019ll get Vegas tacked onto the California trip later in the year. But the Sabres got a taste of what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n
Utah blitzed Buffalo for four goals in the third period Nov. 12 in a 5-1 win. Colorado scored twice in the first six minutes the next night en route to a 6-3 win.<\/p>\n
Nelson\u2019s old pals from Long Island survived the gauntlet quite well. The Islanders won in Las Vegas in overtime, won in Salt Lake in overtime and played quite well against the Avs despite the 4-1 final score. That\u2019s a very successful four days, both in results and process.<\/p>\n
The New York Rangers are doing the trip out of order, going Vegas, Colorado and then Utah, but they also get a day in between each instead of it being a dreaded three-in-four.<\/p>\n
Colorado has always had a built-in advantage at home because Ball Arena sits at 5,280 feet. Mentally, physically or both \u2014 opposing teams feel that.<\/p>\n
Now, thanks to the shifting geographical footprint, the Avs are likely to get even more home games where the opponent just played in Salt Lake City the night before and is about to play for the third time in four nights.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s already a tough trip for foes \u2014 Colorado, Utah and Vegas were a combined 17-4-6 at home as of Thursday morning. That\u2019s the equivalent of a team playing at 121-point pace, and it\u2019s only going to get tougher as the Mammoth continue to integrate some of their top prospects.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we will start to see that more often. The schedule is going to spit out that sort of combination,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cFor us, we want to take advantage of all our opportunities at home that we can. We\u2019ve done that so far this year. With the altitude, and then a back-to-back, we can use that as an advantage for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n