The Vegas Golden Knights completed a stunning four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in their nine-year history.
Vegas held off the Presidents' Trophy winners 2-1 with a clinical defensive performance in Game 4, limiting Colorado to 21 shots.
Mark Stone opened the scoring for the Golden Knights 4:42 into the first period, catching a brilliant aerial pass from Brayden McNabb before converting on the breakaway. That stood as the game's only goal until Cole Smith added a key insurance marker - which proved to be the eventual winner - with 5:45 left in regulation.
Gabriel Landeskog got the Avalanche on the board with 2:03 remaining in the game, but that's all Colorado would get.
Carter Hart made 20 saves in the contest, improving his playoff save percentage to .923.
Mackenzie Blackwood, who made his first start of the series for the Avalanche, kept his team within striking distance for most of the game despite Colorado being outplayed, but it ultimately wasn't enough. He made 24 saves.
The Golden Knights improved to 19-4-1 since John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy as head coach with eight games remaining in the regular season. They went 7-0-1 in the regular season under Tortorella and are now 12-4 in the playoffs. He's the third coach in NHL history to lead his team to the Cup Final after taking over in the final 10 games of the season, joining Roger Neilson (1982 Vancouver Canucks) and Larry Robinson (2000 New Jersey Devils).
Vegas will face the Carolina Hurricanes or Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final. Carolina currently leads the Eastern Conference Final 2-1.
The Golden Knights made it to the Cup Final in their inaugural season in 2018 before eventually losing to the Washington Capitals. They won the Cup in 2023 over the Florida Panthers.
With the Avalanche being eliminated, the streak of Stanley Cup Finals without a Presidents' Trophy winner continues. The 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks are the most recent winner to reach the Cup Final. Colorado is the seventh No. 1 seed in NHL history to be swept in the playoffs.
