Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to gear up for the Stanley Cup playoff ride. It's a tradition like no other in Las Vegas, where the Vegas Golden Knights get ready for another run at the Stanley Cup.
With that comes hotter temperatures, better opponents, and blazing excitement. Will this be the year the Golden Knights do it again? Or will they come up short as another team deems itself more worthy of sport's greatest prize? Stay tuned.
A bigger question will be if the Golden Knights can overcome the Minnesota Wild. On the surface, it looks promising for the Pacific Division champions. They're favored to win -240 with a consensus saying they'll win in either five or six games.
But that doesn't mean fans shouldn't be cautious about their opponents. The Wild have Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi back, getting much-needed goal-scoring for the playoffs. There's also Filip Gustavsson in net, who's played well for Minnesota this season. Let's not forget Marc-Andre Fleury making one more appearance in a series against his former team.
While these players will be important for various reasons (nostalgia and expertise), they're not the main X-factor. Instead, the one player to watch for plays for Vegas. He's had a breakout season and led the team in goals for the 2024-25 season. Who's the mystery man that should be watched for during the series?
Who Vegas Golden Knights fans should watch for against the Minnesota Wild
Pavel Dorofeyev had an excellent 2024-25 season for the Vegas Golden Knights. He led the team in goals (35) and was second in power play goals (13). His breakout season has replaced the production once made by Jonathan Marchessault when he was in Las Vegas.
However, the playoffs are a different beast. The Russian winger only has one playoff game to his name (Rhymes Like Dimes!), meaning he's extremely raw on the postseason front. This playoff run will be the first foray for Dorofeyev. Therefore, it's on him not to think about the pressure too much.
Will it get to his head? Will the 24-year-old rise to the occasion and take over the series? It depends on what happens with Gustavsson and company. Will the Swedish goaltender crack under the pressure? Numerous questions float around this series, especially with the Russian forward at the center of almost everything.
Why Pavel Dorofeyev shouldn't worry too much about the pressure
The Minnesota Wild enter the series having the 30th-best penalty kill in the league (72.4%). They've struggled with zone exits and getting a firm grip on the puck this season, leaving their opponents to pounce. That's good news for the Vegas Golden Knights, who had the second-best power play in the league (28.3%).
That's even better news for Dorofeyev, who can use his left-handed shot to torture the Wild. That left-handed shot has been responsible for getting the power play to being one of the league's top units, after all. How will a goaltender stop any hard shot coming his way?
That's the big question. It's also something Bruce Cassidy will rely on if the Golden Knights are in the penalty-drawing business. He'll rely on Tomas Hertl in the slot and that shot to carry the play.
It could be the sole reason why Vegas advances to the second round. It could also be why the unit gets off to a blazing start to commence the Stanley Cup playoffs. It could even be like Game 7 of the 2021 series, only it would happen on a game-by-game basis.