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Nate Schmidt wants Golden Knights to play faster

Nate Schmidt has watched — even in the wee hours of the morning in Austria — the Golden Knights stumble to a 7-10-1 start during his 20-game suspension for violating the NHL’s performance-enhancing substance policy.

On Monday, following his first practice at City National Arena since the end of training camp, he gave his thoughts as to why the team has struggled.

“You look at how our team is playing and what we did last year, playing fast was our No. 1 thing,” said Schmidt, who is eligible to play Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers. “I think that’s something that we haven’t done as well lately.”

If the Knights are playing slower, Schmidt’s absence is a big reason why. The 27-year-old defenseman excels at pushing the puck up the ice in transition and turning defense into offense.

He said he’s in shape and ready to do so again upon his return after practicing with the Vienna Capitals during his suspension. The team plays on a wider ice sheet compared to the NHL’s, which helped him keep up with his conditioning.

“I really think that’s what it comes down to,” Schmidt said. “When you’re playing fast, you have effort, you have guys buying in, you have discipline and you have all those other things. It is the underlying factor right now. If we get back to playing fast, the other things will take care of themselves.”

Sled hockey gets sponsor

Online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos announced Monday that it will sponsor the Knights sled hockey team. The company will cover travel and equipment needs for the program, a sit-down version of hockey for those with disabilities.

Sleds come with a blade attached at the bottom and players use two sticks to propel themselves across the ice.

The sled hockey team will play an exhibition Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena during the first intermission of the Knights’ game against the Anaheim Ducks before beginning its 2019 schedule.

The team is slated to appear in three tournaments against other NHL sled hockey teams and another against teams from around the world.

“Through the partnership with Zappos we can take the program to the next level,” Knights President Kerry Bubolz said. “It’ll help fund additional equipment, it’ll help fund additional players and most importantly allow these athletes to go out on the road against other NHL sled hockey teams.”

Odds and ends

■ Knights prospect Paul Cotter, a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, left his college team at Western Michigan to join the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

■ Coach Gerard Gallant took a maintenance day Monday and didn’t participate in practice.

More Golden Knights: Follow all of our Golden Knights coverage online at reviewjournal.com/GoldenKnights and @HockeyinVegas on Twitter.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.

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