The Vegas Golden Knights are moving on to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in franchise history after sweeping the Presidents Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche knew they had to reinvent their game if they wanted to force a Game 5, but John Tortorella’s structure proved too much to handle for an injured Colorado squad.
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Mark Stone opened the scoring early for Vegas on a breakaway after Brayden McNabb found him with a perfect stretch pass. An unfortunate start for Mackenzie Blackwood, who earned the start for the first time since Game 5 of the Minnesota series.
The Knights carried the play for the majority of the first, recording six high-danger chances to Colorado’s one. Vegas did a spectacular job muddying up the middle, and Colorado’s offense was limited with Nathan MacKinnon not appearing completely healthy.
In his second game back from injury, Cale Makar was Colorado’s best player, igniting much of the Avalanche’s offense.
The power play, as it has all year long for Colorado, failed to generate any momentum. It’s a mystery how any team with MacKinnon and Makar struggles on the man advantage, but that’s been the reality for the Avalanche.
Their best looks came at the end of the period, as Martin Nečas and MacKinnon both earned grade A chances, but Carter Hart kept it a 1-0 game heading into the third.
Tensions rose in the third following the hit by Tomáš Hertl that took out Nečas late in the second. Chances were few and far between for the Avalanche, with the Knights falling into a strict 1-3-1 structure.
Cole Smith became the unexpected hero of the game, scoring a critical goal with five minutes remaining to make it a 2-0 game.
With the season on the line, captain Gabriel Landeskog put the team on his back — tipping home a Nečas shot to bring the Avalanche within one with two minutes to go.
Head coach Jared Bednar shortened the bench, attempting to fuel a comeback with the season on the line, to no avail. The Knights shut the door on the Avalanche, winning 2-1.
The Knights will face the winner of the Eastern Conference final, a series the Carolina Hurricanes lead 2-1 against the Montreal Canadiens.
