NHL Playoffs First Round Preview: Golden Knights Start Title Defense Against Loaded Stars

(Photo : (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)) LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 17: Jonathan Marchessault #81 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates with the puck against Jason Robertson #21 of the Dallas Stars in overtime of their game at T-Mobile Arena on October 17, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Stars 3-2 in a shootout.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to begin, and there are several high-profile matchups on tap for the most exciting postseason in professional sports, including a show-stealing series between the reigning champion Vegas Golden Knights and high-powered Dallas Stars.

Over the next two months, we'll narrow the playing field down from 8 qualifying teams in each conference to just one left standing to hoist the Stanley Cup.

After a drama-filled race to the finish line of the regular season, the matchups are set, and it's time to break them down and give a series prediction.

Last year's champs from Vegas didn't replicate their postseason success in this regular season, as they steadily stayed in wild card positioning for most of the season.

That lines them up with the Stars, who were fantastic this season and beat out strong Colorado and Winnipeg teams to win the Central.

NHL First Round Series Preview: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars

This is the best kind of matchup that can happen in the first round. A reigning champion that has all the pieces to do it again goes up against a team that rightfully has every reason to believe it's their year.

Is there any way this series doesn't go seven games?

We'll start between the pipes, where Vegas will turn to the rock solid Adin Hill, or possibly Logan Thompson, while Dallas counters with Jake Oettinger, who is immensely talented and has dominated in postseasons past but played well below his usual standards this regular season.

NHL First Round Series Preview: Golden Knights and Stars Rosters Matched Up

Both defenses are stocked with big, physical players who can handle the puck. Take your pick between Vegas' unit featuring Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, and Brayden McNabb and Dallas' group led by Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, and Chris Tanev.

It's hard to find much daylight between the two teams in terms of the caliber of players charged with keeping goals off the board, the Knights probably have a more talented unit top to bottom, but Heiskanen is the best player of the bunch.

Up front, both teams are loaded with high-end talent at the top of their lineup and feature plenty of strong depth.

The Stars had six forwards top 60 points in Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Matt Duchene, Wyatt Johnston, and Jamie Benn.

Vegas boasts a similar depth with Jonathan Marchessault, Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, Chandler Stephenson, Ivan Barbashev, and Mark Stone, who looks set to return from injury.

This is just the perfect playoff series, both teams have so many guys who excel on both ends of the rink and play the physical brand of hockey that tends to elevate in the playoffs. They both can roll four lines and trust three groups of defensemen, and they are both well-coached with goalies who could steal the series.

It's an impossible one to pick, but I like the high-end of the Stars roster just a little bit more. Give me Dallas.