As the defending champions, your duty is to take on all-comers. Now there's a target on the back, where it was formerly bare. That's where the Vegas Golden Knights currently stand, getting set for the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years.
After all, that's what great franchises do. They must fight any opponent at any time, bringing everything they have. If there is a team that's up to the task, it's this Golden Knights group.
As the Golden Knights await their first-round opponent, they're making final preparations with a tune-up game against the Anaheim Ducks. A Thursday night game at T-Mobile Arena always sounds like a good idea in Vegas, specifically if you're the defending champs. Opponents be damned, here are three reasons why the Golden Knights will make it out of the first round.