It's official: The Vegas Golden Knights will face the Minnesota Wild in the first round. The Wild defeated the Anaheim Ducks in overtime, 3-2, on Tuesday. In turn, they get a playoff spot and Marc-Andre Fleury gets one final sendoff to Vegas before retiring.
It's like the hockey gods wrote a poetic ending to the "Original Misfit's" career. He was the goaltender who didn't just lead the Golden Knights to a historic Stanley Cup Final run in the first season. He also won his only Vezina Trophy with the team. It's only fitting for one last reunion with the netminder who put your team on the map.
While reunions are nice and nostalgic, the only thing that matters is winning Stanley Cups. That's why Jonathan Marchessault didn't get the five-year deal he wanted. Why pay someone until they're 39 years old when you can go with a younger winger (*COUGH* *COUGH* Pavel Dorofeyev *COUGH*)? It only makes sense that you go with someone who scores 34 goals compared to 20 goals from a 34-year-old.
Anyways, we're getting sidetracked here. It's about the Wild and Golden Knights in the first round. As expected, Vegas will be the favorites in the series, mainly because of players like Dorofeyev. Bruce Cassidy's doing his due diligence on resting players for the regular season's end. That's why you're not seeing Adin Hill, Mark Stone, or Jack Eichel make any appearances.
That could be one reason why the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Minnesota Wild in a seven-game series. Well-rested players will feel rejuvenated with the aches and pains gone. But there are three other reasons why the Pacific Division champions will emerge on top.
1.) The Vegas Golden Knights can beat the Minnesota Wild on special teams
Everyone knows the Golden Knights have an excellent power play. They're the second-best unit in the NHL (29.1%) and have seen Tomas Hertl (14 goals) and Pavel Dorofeyev (13 goals) lead the way. I know, it's absolutely shocking to see.
But what's more shocking has been how awful the Minnesota Wild have been on special teams. Imagine if Lena Dunham were a power play unit. She'd be this one, ranking 19th in the NHL (21.1%). Let's go one step further. Imagine if Dunham's preaching about changing the world were a penalty kill. That'd be good enough for... 30th in the NHL (72.3%).
That's almost as bad as putting Paul Bissonnette on the top line with Eichel and Mark Stone. Stone and Eichel can do as much heavy lifting as they want. But they're not elevating the analyst to new heights. That's what Vegas will face in the first-round matchup.
2.) Adin Hill can carry a team on a Stanley Cup run
It's been mentioned numerous times. However, it bears repeating. Adin Hill is a postseason performer. He's been solid in 19 career postseason games with a GAA of 2.09 and a save percentage of (say it with me, class) .932. Add three shutouts to the equation and it's no wonder Kelly McCrimmon held onto him.
Considering the Minnesota Wild are 26th in the NHL in goals per game (2.74, lower than the New York Islanders), that says a lot about what Hill will face. He showed that he could lead the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup before. Las Vegans are confident the 28-year-old can do it again, especially when the postseason rolls around.
3.) Home-ice advantage means everything
Sure, the Minnesota Wild are 23-13-5 away from St. Paul this season. However, they were also swept in the regular season series, 3-0-0. Part of that was the lone home game on January 12, where Hill and the Golden Knights dominated in a 4-1 victory. Pavel Dorofeyev had two goals and an assist that game, earning him first-star honors.
Remember that Vegas is 29-9-3 at T-Mobile Arena this season. A major part of winning the Pacific Division was maximizing their time in Las Vegas this season. That will come in handy as the Wild make their way to Sin City next week to start the series.