Vegas Golden Knights fans have noticed something peculiar. Before the Stanley Cup playoffs started, experts suddenly jumped on the Golden Knights bandwagon. Analysts and commentators like Sean McDonough and Frank Seravalli (yes, THAT Frank Seravalli. Not his evil twin, Fronk) picked Vegas to hoist the Stanley Cup come June.
It's an unorthodox position to be in, considering nobody believed in them to start the 2024-25 season. Everyone hopped on the Edmonton Oilers bandwagon, starstruck by the abilities of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. But guess who's the Pacific Division champion?
Mark Stone and the team will tell you how many times the team has been discounted left and right. It's why they have a chip on their shoulder every game. Even with 50 wins, 110 points, and a divisional title, that isn't enough for the Golden Knights.
That's why these predictions feels somewhat odd. How does the team respond when many people are picking them as the prohibitive favorite? Do you play it cool and coast like you did during January and February? Do you go even harder and prove them right?
The choice should be obvious, for it must be the latter. After all, you don't want to crack under the spotlight. The fanbase will be severely disappointed in you if you let them down. However, that has happened before in the NHL.
Remember when the Boston Bruins were eliminated in the first round in the 2202-23 Stanley Cup playoffs?
A season after firing Bruce Cassidy, the Boston Bruins had a regular season for the record books. That consisted of a 65-12-5 record and 135 points. This was a season where Linus Ullmark had a GAA of 1.89 and a save percentage of .938. On top of that, David Pastrnak (61 goals and 113 points) was the go-to scorer for the Bruins. Everything was going well in Boston except for one fateful Game 5...
...Brad Marchand had the ultimate chance to put away the Florida Panthers. He can put a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky and end their season. But that doesn't happen. Bobrovsky stopped Marchand cold and Matthew Tkachuk scored the OT winner for the Panthers. Florida would pull off two more wins and make the Stanley Cup Final. That's when they would lose in five games to the... Vegas Golden Knights.
Of course, the 2024-25 season for Vegas wasn't as jaw-dropping as Boston's in 2022-23. However, the message remains the same. Don't drop the ball when people expect you to do good. Now that people know what you're capable of on the ice, it's time to execute.
That means not playing down to your competition and handling business. Sure, the Minnesota Wild look like an easy team. That's why many people are picking Vegas to win in five games (or one more). However, you must still play the game. Nothing's handed to you in life, which was the harsh lesson learned by Boston after that fateful Panthers series. Two seasons later, they miss the Stanley Cup playoffs and Jim Montgomery is gone. Yes, Boston fired the man who replaced Bruce Cassidy two seasons later.
This weekend is WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas. Countless wrestling fans will pour into Allegiant Stadium to see the best WWE superstars and celebrities. That means performing at your best and not letting the spotlight get to you. Otherwise, you'll become someone else's squash match. That's a fate no Golden Knights fan wants to see.