The Vegas Golden Knights were the Western Conference's best team in 2022-23.
Their 111 points earned them the Pacific Division's regular-season title and were better than anything mustered in the Central Division, but it still wasn't easy to find anyone suggesting they'd be the team representing the conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
Yet for the second time in six seasons, here they are.
The residents of the Nevada desert were on their heels after two straight losses to the Dallas Stars extended the Western final to a sixth game, but they responded with three goals in the first period and never looked back on the way to a 6-0 win that officially punched their tickets to a championship-round duel with the Florida Panthers.