The Vegas Golden Knights advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in franchise history after defeating the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
The victory secured a 4-0 sweep in the best-of-7 Western Conference Final.
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The Pacific Division's top seed will face either the Montreal Canadiens or the Carolina Hurricanes for the championship.
Mark Stone opened the scoring for Vegas at 4:42 of the first period by capitalizing on a neutral zone breakaway.
Cole Smith added a third-period deflection, while Carter Hart stopped 20 shots for the victory.
Gabriel Landeskog scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, who were the Presidents' Trophy winners but played through injuries to stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, alongside the absence of Valeri Nichushkin.
Marner's Playoff Run Draws Attention
The series victory followed a dramatic Game 3 on Sunday, where Vegas overcame an early three-goal deficit to win 5-3, fueled by postseason scoring leader Mitch Marner, who has 21 points in 15 games.
Marner's spectacular playoff run since being traded from Toronto has drawn intense scrutiny and mixed emotions from his former fan base, according to media reports.
"That goes with the territory.
It just becomes part of the sport itself: Which ex-Leaf is going to raise the Cup this year, because they couldn't do it here?"
said Kevin McGran, a writer for the Toronto Star.
Former NHL player and TSN analyst Jeff O'Neill noted the hyper-focused reaction from fans regarding Marner's success outside of Ontario.
