Even for Flyers veterans like Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, opening night of the NHL season is still special

LAS VEGAS — Even for the veterans, opening night never gets old.

There is an extra jolt of adrenaline. The veterans feel like kids again.

Just ask Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, and James van Riemsdyk. They are among the experienced players who will lead the Flyers into Thursday's opener at T-Mobile Arena against the defending Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights.

"It's a buildup from the whole summer and you get pretty excited for the first game," said Giroux, who broke into the NHL in 2007-08. "You get excited for camp, and then when camp's done, you get excited for the season to start."

"I still get pumped for them," said Simmonds, starting his 11th NHL season. "And you want to start the season off the right way, so it's a big game for us."

Van Riemsdyk, the Flyers' key off-season addition and another veteran, said the players weren't tempted to invade the Vegas Strip on Wednesday night — not with the opener so close. The team was on a bonding trip in Vail, Colo., and didn't arrive in Vegas until Wednesday.

"I'm pretty sure no one had to worry about someone having a late night before the first game," van Riemsdyk said.

The 29-year-old left winger said he would have typical opening-night jitters Thursday but that they would quickly dissipate after a shift or two.

"This is what I've been waiting for and we've all been waiting for since camp started," he said.

The Flyers have won their last two openers. Overall, they are 23-19-8 in their first games, including an 8-8-5 mark on the road.

Before the game, there will be a ceremony saluting Vegas for its Western Conference title — in its first year of existence.

"We have to focus on ourselves," Simmonds said. " They're going to have all that stuff going on, but we can't let it take us off our game. For us us, it's just going to be worrying about ourselves and going about our business."

"I remember the game here last year, the intensity was pretty high," said Giroux, mindful the Flyers defeated the host Knights, 4-1. "The atmosphere was great, and to play the first game here is pretty cool — and its definitely a good early test for us to see where we stand."

Simmonds said the Flyers have "more depth now. We brought in some new pieces and we're looking forward to this season. We have high expectations for ourselves."

Brian Elliott (2.66 GAA, .909 save percentage last season) will oppose Vegas' Marc-Andre Fleury (2.24, .927).

Elliott, 33, has never faced Vegas in his career. Fleury, 33, has played 54 games against the Flyers, going 28-18-2 (six no-decisions) with a 2.87 GAA and .900 save percentage.

On Thursday, Giroux will join Bobby Clarke as the only players in Flyers history to serve as captain for seven or more seasons. … Sean Couturier, who played in just one preseason game because of a knee injury, said he feels 100 percent "or I wouldn't be here this early in the season." Couturier will play in all situations Thursday: even-strength, power play and penalty kill. … Goalie Calvin Pickard still has not joined the Flyers as he works through visa issues. The puck drop is expected to be at 10:15 p.m. … The Flyers will practice at the University of Denver on Friday morning; they play the Avs on Saturday night. … The Gritty mascot that was on Conan O'Brien on Wednesday was an impostor, the Flyers said. … Thursday's game is on NBC Sports Philadelphia and on the radio on The Fanatic (97.5 FM). It will also be simulcast (like every game) on Flyersradio247.com.