An NHL conspiracy?

The NHL blue bloods and powers that be were, let’s say, surprised — if not embarrassed — by the unprecedented success of the upstart Vegas Golden Knights and the juggernaut that took them to the Stanley Cup Final.

So we enter the 2018-19 season and, as of Dec. 30, the Knights are the only team that has played 42 games — with 57 percent of those games on the road. Some teams have as many as three or four fewer games played and favorable early season home schedules.

Yes, one can say that it all evens out in the end. However, a grueling pace of play foisted upon the Knights, much of it away from home early in the season, leads me to believe that there may be something more to this scheduling randomness than meets the eye. Think about it.