After a one-year hiatus, the Wild are back in the NHL playoffs, securing a Western Conference wild-card spot in the final 22 seconds of regulation in the final game of the regular season. Minnesota’s journey from the top of the NHL standings in early December to scrambling to reach the tournament can be traced to a rash of injuries to their best players.

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. Golden Knights: 50-22-10, 110 points Wild: 45-30-7, 97 points Season series: VGK: 3-0-0; MIN: 0-3-0 Game 1: at Vegas, TBD

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.