It doesn't seem fair top-seeded Stars are playing Golden Knights in first round

The Dallas Stars had an outstanding regular season.

They racked up 113 points, the best record in the Western Conference and the second best in the NHL. And their first-round reward for being the top seed in the conference?

Facing the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights.

Despite finishing in the second wild-card spot, the Golden Knights had 98 points. As usual, Vegas acquired two of the best available players at the trade deadline and may be getting two of its best players back from injury just in time for when the series begins Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The Stars, who feature a lethal and balanced top-six forward group which includes Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz and Matt Duchene, top defenseman Miro Heiskanen and goaltender Jake Oettinger, are still relatively heavy favorites to win the seven-game series, but the Golden Knights certainly will not be an easy out.

A forward group that already included Jack Eichel, captain Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson was joined by Tomáš Hertl, who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks at the deadline. Also coming to Vegas was defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames, who joins the likes of Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb on the blue line.

Stone, who suffered a lacerated spleen on Feb. 20, and Pietrangelo, who had an appendectomy early in the month, have been out with those injuries. But both skated and fully participated in practice on Saturday.

Dallas does have a couple of motivational factors in that it was eliminated by the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final last season and Stars coach Peter DeBoer was formerly Vegas' coach.

Still, playing the Golden Knights just does not seem like a proper prize for being the best regular-season team in the conference.