The Vegas Golden Knights completed the sweep of the Colorado Avalanche with a 2-1 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Cole Smith scored the game-winning goal for Vegas, who advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine years.
After a dominant showing in Game 4, the Golden Knights were awarded the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as the champions of the Western Conference. Vegas did not elect to touch the trophy, however. The Golden Knights touched it in 2018 but not in 2023.
The Golden Knights now will await the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between Carolina and Montreal.
First period
Though Nic Dowd had a great chance on a redirect at the side of the net, the Avalanche were the ones with their skating legs early, and they pinned the Golden Knights in their end for several extended shifts.
But Vegas flipped the script on the breakout at the end of one of those shifts.
Though the Golden Knights were chasing in their own end, the transition game was able to capitalize on a sleepy moment by the Avalanche, and Vegas made the absolute most of it.
Shea Theodore found Brayden McNabb, who skated up the boards and then lobbed an alley-oop pass up the ice. It was perfectly-placed, allowing Stone to grab it with his glove, put it on the ice and skate in cleanly on a breakaway.
The last line of defense was MacKenzie Blackwood, who made his first start of the series in net for Colorado.
However, Stone blew the roof off T-Mobile Arena when he bested Blackwood on a deke, setting the tone early with the opening goal of the contest. His fifth of the playoffs put Vegas up 1-0 less than five minutes in.
But Vegas continued to generate scoring chances throughout the early push by Colorado. Pavel Dorofeyev was unable to finish off an outstanding play by Jack Eichel, and Blackwood made a great stick play to thwart a promising Brett Howden chance off a turnover. He later turned aside a one-armed deflection by William Karlsson.
Vegas began to pour on the pressure, hemming Colorado in its own end and winning battle after battle to stay in the offensive zone.
That didn’t mean Colorado wasn’t threatening to reset the score. The best of the chances came on a Brock Nelson breakaway, but Carter Hart made a clutch glove save to keep the Avs off the board.
Eichel looked like a man possessed throughout the opening frame, but the entire team was contributing. A great shift by the fourth line led to the first power play of the night, which set Vegas up with 56 seconds of carry-over time to start the second.
In the end, the Golden Knights happily took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission after earning 82.68 percent of the expected goal share and leading 13-4 in scoring chances in the first period, per Natural Stat Trick.
It was the Golden Knights’ first lead after the first period this postseason.
Second period
Ultimately, the second period didn’t yield any changes to the score, but it was a period replete with grade-A chances on both sides.
The Avalanche were in control to start, but the Golden Knights closed ranks and relied on their structure. Hart came up with some big stops, including on a one-timer by Nelson on the power play as well as on another breakaway after Nelson deked around Stone and Theodore in Vegas’ end.
Eventually, Vegas tilted the ice completely. The Golden Knights were swarming, and Stone had one shift where he set up multiple teammates for excellent chances. Blackwood stood tall each time.
Vegas then got a power play and looked to double the lead multiple times, with Dorofeyev getting fantastic looks from in tight. However, Blackwood dove across the crease to make both desperation saves, covering up the top half of the net and doing everything in his power to prevent the Avalanche from falling into a multi-goal hole.
The puck movement was still mesmerizing for the Golden Knights throughout the power play, with won battles and diligent forecheck pressure extending the shift time and time again.
There were many questionable officiating decisions throughout the second period, but it was relatively even when all was said and done, with the referees making two very light calls (one on each team) and also missing blatant penalties (one on each side).
The Golden Knights led in shots (11-6) and scoring chances (14-7) with a 62.3 percent expected goal share at all strengths. The Avalanche had slightly better numbers at 5-on-5, but the Golden Knights still led where it mattered.
Vegas entered the third with a 7-0 record when leading after two periods this postseason.
Third period
The Avalanche had a bit of push early, but the Golden Knights were stifling defensively. Blackwood continued to make key saves to hold Vegas back, but the Golden Knights were content to let the clock run.
They continued to be aggressive, but their defensive structure swallowed up any of Colorado’s speed in the neutral zone, making it particularly difficult for the Avs to get to the middle of the ice and get any sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
The Golden Knights’ defensive dominance continued, as Colorado was held to two shots in the span of 26 minutes going back to the second period.
On yet another extended shift in the offensive zone for Vegas’ fourth line, the Golden Knights won several battles and eventually got the puck to the point. Dylan Coghlan launched one from the blue line, and Smith got a piece of it in front of the net.
The goal made it 2-0 with 5:45 remaining in the third period.
Colorado didn’t go away quietly, though, and captain Gabriel Landeskog answered with a deflection goal to make it a 2-1 game with 2:03 remaining.
The Golden Knights, however, were able to close out the remaining 63 seconds. Key defensive plays by top players took care of business, and Vegas put the finishing touches on an impressive display.
This was a masterclass by the Golden Knights.
They were truly dominant, and it was their best game of the series.
There were long stretches where Colorado couldn’t even get the puck in the offensive end, let alone on net. Vegas was rock-solid structurally, and the four lines rolled as one.
The Golden Knights played and won as a team, more so in this game than in any other.
That being said, there were a few especially noteworthy performances.
The captain led by example once again tonight, and he was dominant. He gave Vegas a much more dynamic third line, and he brings out the best in Tomas Hertl, who had another strong game Tuesday night. Stone’s goal in the first five minutes gave Vegas the lead they needed, and his goal in Game 3 capped off the rally that turned the series around.
Stone’s importance to the lineup has been very clear all year, but he made his presence felt when he returned from his five-game absence. The last two games have had his fingerprints all over them.
The Avalanche had their two star players in the lineup, but Vegas continued to shut both down. Nelson was the club’s biggest offensive weapon, but his chances were taken care of by another player who deserves mentioning.
That player is Hart. There’s no doubt Hart has turned this season around for the Golden Knights. Say what you will about the boldness of the coaching change, but Hart’s return (and Karlsson’s eventual return) have had much more significant effects on this run.
In any case, Hart managed the game well. He held the Avalanche off the board for 58 minutes in an elimination game. He wasn’t tested as much as in other games, and he did give up the late goal, but he kept Colorado off the board early, limiting their momentum, adding to their frustration and shutting down their best chances. He stabilized the game for the Golden Knights, giving them time to get to their game. Hart finished the night with 20 saves on 21 shots for a .952 save percentage.
But the entire lineup was committed all night.
Players were winning races to loose pucks, winning battles along the boards, keeping plays alive, making smart decisions rather than taking unnecessary risks, capitalizing on opportunities and throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Blackwood, who was sensational.
If not for Blackwood, this game would have gone quite differently. Jared Bednar gave him the nod in net, and Blackwood delivered, keeping his team in the game all night.
However, it wasn’t enough to overcome Vegas’ defensive minefield, which helped swallow up the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche in Game 4.
In a must-win game for the Avalanche, the Golden Knights led 26-21 in shots, 57-44 in Corsi, 32-15 in scoring chances and 15-6 in high-danger chances with 70.44 percent of the expected goal share.
The Golden Knights struggled during the regular season. They won just 39 games, and there were periods where they’d make the same mistakes over and over again. They also didn’t have reliable goaltending and had to play from behind and score four goals a night to even compete.
That has changed throughout this run, and Game 4 was a statement win and another brilliant closeout victory for the Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights will have time off before the next series. For now, they’ll wait for the winner of the Carolina vs. Montreal series (Carolina currently leads 2-1).The Golden Knights will need to rest, but they also must make sure to stay focused and stay sharp.
Their work is far from over.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
Photos courtesy of the Golden Knights