It took until Game 56 for the Vegas Golden Knights to know who they’re facing in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Golden Knights will open their fourth consecutive postseason appearance against the Minnesota Wild. Game 1 will be Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, with puck drop set for noon.
The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Thursday to win the West Division and Presidents’ Trophy, clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the postseason. Despite squandering such an opportunity, the Golden Knights will have home-ice advantage against Minnesota.
Yet despite a 40-win season and, by all accounts a successful season, the Golden Knights got the worst possible draw for the first round.
Vegas is 5-10-1 all-time against Minnesota, including a 3-4-1 stretch during this compressed season. Vegas blew third-period leads on April 3, a 2-1 loss at Vegas, and May 3; a 6-5 loss that saw the Wild score three times in the third.
The first two rounds of this year’s postseason will be inter-divisional play. The top-seeded Avalanche will face the St. Louis Blues in a seven-game series; Game 1 of that matchup is on Monday.
Golden Knights vs. Wild schedule
Game 1: Sunday, noon — NBC
Game 2: Tuesday, 7 p.m. — NBCSN
Game 3: Thursday, 6:30 p.m. — NBCSN
Game 4: May 22, 5 p.m. — NBC
Game 5: May 24, TBD*
Game 6: May 26, TBD*
Game 7: May 28, TBD*
*if necessary