The Vegas Golden Knights celebrated after defeating the Colorado Avalanche in a decisive Game 4, completing a surprising sweep to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine seasons. Mark Stone and Cole Smith scored for Vegas, while the team’s defence suffocated Colorado’s high-powered offence, securing a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night.
Series Recap
The Golden Knights will now rest while awaiting the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens, with Carolina leading that series 2-1. 'Now the real stuff starts,' said Vegas coach John Tortorella. 'I consider the first three rounds playoffs. Now we’re playing for the Stanley Cup.'
For the Avalanche, it was a crushing end to a season that saw them win the Presidents’ Trophy and dominate the early playoff rounds with an 8-1 record. The last team to claim both the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season was the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.
Key Moments
Stone opened the scoring for the Golden Knights on a lob pass from Brayden McNabb deep in his own zone. Stone caught the puck and had a clear path to the net, making no mistake. Smith later tipped in Dylan Coghlan’s shot from the point with 5:45 remaining, providing a critical two-goal cushion.
Goaltender Carter Hart stopped 20 shots, coming within 2:03 of his first playoff shutout in six years. Gabriel Landeskog ended that shutout, one of the few bright spots for the Avalanche, who went the final 14:23 of the second period without a shot on goal and more than 22 minutes with just one shot. 'It’s empty,' Landeskog said. 'It always is, whether you lose in seven, six, five or four games, it’s an empty feeling. It sucks. There’s no other way to put it.'
Goaltending Duel
Mackenzie Blackwood, making his first start of the series, gave the Avalanche a chance to win with several dazzling saves, finishing with 24 saves overall. His best stop came late in the second period when he lunged to glove a power-play shot from Pavel Dorofeyev.
Unexpected Journey
The Golden Knights’ path to the Cup Final is not as storybook as their debut season in 2018, when they reached the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year, but this success was far from expected. The franchise faced the possibility of missing the playoffs for just the second time when management fired coach Bruce Cassidy, who led the team to the 2023 title, with eight games left in the regular season.
In came Tortorella, who validated the controversial decision by leading Vegas to a 7-0-1 record to close the regular season, followed by playoff series victories over Utah and Anaheim. Then came the Avalanche, a team on a roll and showing no signs of slowing down—until they faced Vegas.
Injuries and Adjustments
Colorado coach Jared Bednar searched for answers against the Golden Knights, even changing goaltenders for Game 4. The Avalanche also dealt with injuries to their top two players during the series: reigning Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar and Hart Trophy finalist Nathan MacKinnon. The Golden Knights had their own injury issues, winning the first two games without Stone.
