Home HOCKEY NHL NHL Recap: Golden Knights Eliminate Avalanche, Set Up Stanley Cup Final Clash

NHL Recap: Golden Knights Eliminate Avalanche, Set Up Stanley Cup Final Clash

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Golden Knights Vs Avalanche
Knights defeats Avalanche 

Mark Stone and Cole Smith scored as the Golden Knights eliminated the Avalanche. Colorado joins a short list of President’s Trophy teams swept in the playoffs.


Vegas stuns Colorado with 4-game sweep, advances to Stanley Cup final...


The Vegas Golden Knights are heading to the Stanley Cup Final after defeating the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 at home. The win completed a four-game sweep of the President’s Trophy winners.


Colorado was trying to avoid becoming the fifth President’s Trophy team to be swept in a playoff series, and the first since the 2021-22 Florida Panthers. It did not start well for the Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena. 




The Golden Knights scored the opening goal in just 4 minutes and 42 seconds. Brayden McNabb sent a pass over the top to Mark Stone. In a one-on-one with MacKenzie Blackwood, the 34-year-old forward finished to put Vegas ahead.

 



The Avalanche settled into the game more during the rest of the first period. Still, they could not score an equalizer from their eight shots in the opening 20 minutes. Outside of Game 3, when they jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Colorado failed to score in the first period of any other game in the series.


Golden Knights sweep Avalanche to reach Stanley Cup final  


The second period was not much better for the visitors, as Vegas kept pressuring the top seed. The Avalanche outshot the Golden Knights 12-8, but it was Vegas that created the better chances. Within a minute, Blackwood made two impressive saves to stop the Avs from falling further behind.




Despite being the best team in the league this season, Colorado had no answer for Vegas. The Golden Knights kept making life difficult for the Avalanche. In the final period, Colorado managed only seven shots on goal, just one more than Vegas.


The decisive goal came with 5:45 left on the clock. Dylan Coghlan’s shot was tipped in by Cole Smith to make it 2-0 for Vegas. The crowd erupted as the Golden Knights closed in on a memorable upset.




With time running out, Colorado pulled their goalie and played with six skaters for the final five minutes. That adjustment finally produced a goal. Gabriel Landeskog scored from distance with 2:03 remaining to give the Avalanche a late chance.




Unfortunately for Colorado, that goal was as close as they got. Vegas held on through the final two minutes to seal the win and reach their third Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.




With the loss, the Avalanche join the Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings, and Calgary Flames as the only President’s Trophy winners to be swept in a playoff series.


The Golden Knights will now face the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina currently leads that series 2-1.






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