LAS VEGAS — 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.

The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild are set for a first-round matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the second time these teams have ever played in the postseason, following Vegas’ win in 2021.

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.