Ask the Vegas Golden Knights about their success last season, and they will likely tell you that none of it mattered.
Winning a fourth divisional title in eight seasons sounds nice, but it gets erased quickly when the season ends by way of back-to-back shutouts by Stuart Skinner and the Edmonton Oilers. Fortunately, the Florida Panthers prevented the Knights’ hated rival (and professional Vegas menace Evander Kane) from hoisting the Stanley Cup for the second straight year. Ironically, the Golden Knights are the last team to beat the aforementioned Panthers in a best-of-seven series, but the past two postseasons have seen Vegas stray from the ‘hurts to win’ identity that got them to the promised land.