The one road trip of the Vegas Golden Knights schedule that could be rough

Hardcore Golden Knights fans love traveling across the continent to watch their favorite team play. It doesn't matter if you're flying to the Windy City to face off against the Chicago Blackhawks or Vancouver for a Vegas road game. What matters is you're watching your favorite team compete against 31 other NHL teams, taking in the local culture along the way.

While that sounds fun, the Vegas Golden Knights schedule does have some unforgiving stretches. For example, they'll play the Tampa Bay Lightning and the defending champions, the Florida Panthers, starting on October 17. Normally, trips to Florida are moderate at best and don't mean much. However, Sunshine State hockey is alive and well, with both teams playing competitive hockey.

Of course, there are easy stretches as well. After that trip, they have five games against the Kings (twice), Senators, Sharks, and Flames. Four of these will be at T-Mobile Arena, where opposing teams will smell what the Golden Knights are cookin'. Time to lay the smackdown on the competition and hoard points, Vegas.

But there's one road trip that could be surprisingly difficult. One that provides a set of trap games for Vegas, leaving them behind. Here's the one trip that could provide the worst jet lag ever for the black and gold. The circumstances seem ripe for a slip-up or two with the timing and teams involved, so watch your step!

The Vegas Golden Knights schedule features a three-game mid-January road trip that includes the Chicago Blackhawks

The Vegas Golden Knights schedule might look light after January 11 and before January 24, where they play against teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues. However, some complications in that stretch involving Connor Bedard and company could hurt them. The Blackhawks have made notable moves during the offseason, giving their team veteran stars.

That includes Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, solid goal scorers who can form a strong foundation with the NHL's next megastar. But it isn't just Chicago that Golden Knights fans should be cautious about during this trip. The Nashville Predators have also revamped their lineup with Steven Stamkos and *GASP* Jonathan Marchessault. They start the road trip and have the Carolina Hurricanes in the middle.

Bear in mind that both the Predators and Hurricanes were playoff teams last season. They'll still compete for that prestigious honor this year, hoping to bring the Stanley Cup to the South. The fun starts on January 14 in Nashville and ends on January 18, when the hockey season is in full swing. That means numerous injuries during this time, which will complicate matters. Given the team's injury history in recent years, that could make matters worse.

Still, there's the opposite end of the spectrum for the Golden Knights

That stretch will appear before three games against the Dallas Stars (twice) and Florida Panthers. It could be a make-or-break trip that could determine how the Golden Knights do in their pursuit of another Stanley Cup. One might say that it might devastate their chances of winning another championship...

...Or not. The Vegas Golden Knights schedule features easy games early in the month, where they play against the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks. Having games against a Hurricanes team that looks completely different from last season and a developing Chicago Blackhawks team isn't the worst thing in the world. In fact, it could be what the doctor ordered.

In the meantime, the Golden Knights have ample time to build a firm cushion points-wise before the second half of January comes up. The Pacific Division doesn't appear daunting to start the season, which should make life easy for Vegas. January could provide the opportunity to accumulate points with that middle-America stretch included.