2. The Trade Deadline Pieces Are Meshing Nicely
The newest acquisitions for the Vegas Golden Knights have done extremely well, boosting a slumping team into sudden contender status. Noah Hanifin (two goals and 10 assists in 19 games) has been as good as advertised. Tomas Hertl (two goals, two assists in five games with the Golden Knights) is another big body that's impacted Vegas positively.
Even Anthony Mantha (three goals, seven assists in 18 games with Vegas) has done good work. The trade deadline acquisitions have boosted numerous parts of the Golden Knights's game, including the power play and their transition game. If Vegas carries these improvements over to the playoffs, watch out.