The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight best-of-7 series, which start Saturday. Today, NHL.com previews the Western Conference First Round between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild.

Marc-Andre Fleury was on the bench the last time the Wild visited Vegas, but when he appeared on the video board late in that Jan. 12 game, the crowd cheered and chanted his name as if he had just made a save to help put the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s funny to look back now and remember that the Vegas Golden Knights’ rise to a perennial NHL power in their initial Stanley Cup Playoffs run was fraught with skepticism.