Two Roads Diverge in a Golden Wood

Are you thinking what I’m thinking
‘Bout all the ways that things could be different?
I have been listening to your petition
I think that it’s finally sinking in

***

It’s not often that a team gets another crack at a playoff opponent so soon. After 2016, the Stars had to wait three years for another shot at the Blues, and the Wild had to wait seven years for an (ill-fated) rematch with Dallas.

After 2020, the ~Golden~ Knights had to wait three years to avenge their five-game drubbing at the hands of Denis Gurianov & Co., though it’s noteworthy that both series took place in the Western Conference Finals.

This year, Dallas gets the champs in Round One. Over 82 games, Dallas Did what Dallas Does (lately), putting themselves in a great postseason position after some rigorous regular season work. Their reward is as unlike the top seeds in both Eastern divisions as it could be: facing one of the best teams in hockey.

Or, I should say, one of what has been the best teams in hockey. After playing a ton of playoff games and winning a Cup, Vegas fought off their championship hangover by ripping off an ethereal 11-0-1 start to the season. They looked unstoppable as ever, and teams were rightly wondering whether there was even any point trying to load up for a serious challenge this year.

You’d be forgiven for feeling similarly, given that Dallas hasn’t beaten Vegas since they summarily bounced the Stars out of a series that never really turned into a series last spring. Even this year, Dallas’s games against Vegas all came during the first couple months of the season, when Vegas was riding atop the Pacific Division with Edmonton in shambles.

Since that 11-0-1 start, though, Vegas has come back to earth with a thud. While you can’t just arbitrarily toss out chunks of a season to prove a point, it’s worth noting that the ~Golden~ Knights (it’s an insufferable adjective, really) went just 34-29-7, good for just 75 points in 70 games, which equates to an 88-point pace over 82 games.

Yes, there are extenuating circumstances (it’s Vegas, after all), but if Edmonton can dismiss their terrible start to the season, I think it’s entirely fair to ask whether Vegas might not have earned every bit of the eighth seed they ended up getting.

Dallas hasn’t beaten them in a long time, sure. But Vegas has lost to far worse teams this year, and more frequently than ever. In fact, the last time Vegas finished 4th in their Division was two years ago, when they missed the playoffs (for the only time in their franchise history, such as it is). This team has not been the same since October, and it’s not just because of injuries.

Or maybe it is. I don’t care, really. You can’t play that badly for that long (especially in goal), and suddenly hope to right the ship against the best team in the conference with the deepest forward group and a top-four on defense that any team would love to have.

It’s the playoffs, yeah. Anything can happen in a short series (or in 60 minutes, according to Winnipeg and Colorado). You’re right to be nervous, because that means you care. The first day of the playoffs is a wonderful thing for a fan, but there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful alongside the anxiety, or at least to deride Vegas’s chances, which amounts to the same thing.

I’m sure I’ve told this story before, but the 2016 playoffs were so special, despite how they ended. After a wonderful season of goals and wins and chaos, the Stars were gearing up to face an eighth seed in Minnesota. The team was in turmoil after coaching changes and injuries to star players, but even still, it was terrifying to contemplate what it would mean for this Stars team to lose to Minnesota, of all teams.

I was living in Los Angeles at the time, and I remember voraciously consuming every podcast or preview I could find. I gorged myself on playoff previews, because all I wanted to do was experience the game, even if it hadn’t started yet. I wanted to hear other people talk about why Dallas would certainly win, or else to hear them voice the fears I could barely acknowledge about how the Wild could actually steal the series in devastating fashion. It was a special day, driving over to meet my brother to watch the game together on a sunny afternoon. And as it happened, it was a special series, albeit one that showed all too clearly how poorly Dallas would fare against a team better-suited to capitalize on their few (but glaring) flaws.

Today is another such day. The first such day since then, really. The Stars have every reason to be confident, even if their opponent is perhaps the last one you would have wanted them to face at the start of this season. But I’ve read and listened to just about everything out there (which is far less than there was in 2016, sadly), and I’m feeling good about their chances.

Of course, they are just that: chances. The dice will be rolled, and the puck will bounce. Dallas didn’t expect to lose Joe Pavelski at the start of last year’s Minnesota series, and they didn’t expect to go to seven games against Seattle. The NHL playoffs are a concentrated dose of drama and explosive fate, but the thrill and the risk can’t be separated from each other.

The Stars will either stumble against a team that unabashedly games the salary cap, or they will vanquish the reigning champions and lick their lips at whatever remains of Colorado or Winnipeg. Things could go badly, as they always can. But things could also go really well, and that would mean one of the most satisfying series victories we’ve seen in a long time. I’ll be there tonight, walking up to the building amid the building tension and excitement, and I’ll be soaking in the collective angst and bravado along with everyone else.

Relish it. Delight in it. Laugh at how stressful this all is, and be thankful that we get to experience it. This journey is never a given, and the result is even less certain than the opportunity. Cheer, scream, and wail, but do so with gratitude. Sports get really stupid when you feel entitled to something, but they can be something special when you remember that every single moment we get to enjoy them is a gift. Let’s unwrap Game One together, tonight. Late tonight. Very late, tonight.