Do you love a good mystery? Perhaps you're interested in seeing who the next "American Idol" is. You may want to see whether you got selected to go to the college you applied for. Mystery is what makes life worth living. It's the biggest payoff for some, while turning into the biggest disappointment for others.
That's the current conundrum the Vegas Golden Knights face. Who will they face in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs? Will it be the recovering Minnesota Wild, which is getting key pieces back at the right time? What about the St. Louis Blues, who are suddenly on a three-game losing streak? Maybe it's the Calgary Flames, who are determined to shock the world.
Whatever the case, the course of the season hinges on who the Golden Knights face. Nobody likes facing a potential matchup problem. NHL teams don't like facing a red-hot team rolling into the Stanley Cup playoffs, either. A sudden logjam in play or a blazing (Snoop Doggggggg!) player could send you golfing 18 holes in May.
Believe it or not, the Golden Knights have only faced one of these teams in a prior playoff series (excluding the seeding round from 2019-20). That would be the Wild, who went toe-to-toe in the 2021 COVID-19 season. This was back when the divisions were significantly different. Instead of having the Vancouver Canucks, you had teams like the St. Louis Blues and Wild in the West.
Therefore, Minnesota is the only team worthy of a stroll down memory lane. Let's see what happened during that fateful series. Who emerged on top between the two contrasting franchises?
Remembering the 2021 playoff series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild
The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild never faced each other prior to the 2021 playoff series. It was ironic considering Vegas made the postseason every year leading up to the series.
But it also served as a precursor to what the future would hold for Marc-Andre Fleury. Before he eventually found his way to the Wild, he was winning a Vezina Trophy and setting numerous franchise records in Las Vegas.
The series itself was a closely contested matchup. It even went the distance when Cam Talbot took Games 5 and 6 for the Wild. Who would prevail between the two teams? Would it be the underdogs from the "State of Hockey?" Or would it be the new kids on the block?
The Golden Knights would prevail over the Wild in a Game 7 snoozer
Las Vegans know that Game 7's are Pete DeBoer's specialty. He's won games for the Golden Knights and even beat his old team in said scenario. It's no wonder he's 8-0 in that given situation.
One of those victories came in this series, when the Vegas Golden Knights destroyed the Minnesota Wild, 6-2. What's more shocking was who led the way for Vegas.
That would be none other than Mattias Janmark, who had a hat trick in Game 7. Max Pacioretty, Zach Whitecloud, and Nicolas Hague would also score for the Golden Knights.
Granted, the postseason didn't end the way that Las Vegas wanted in 2021. However, it set the table for a potential rematch. Could Minnesota exact its revenge from a few seasons prior? Stay tuned.