Full Game Highs: Golden Knights Sweep Avalanche, Advance to Third SCF Berth in Nine Seasons

The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1, in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena to complete a four-game sweep and advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine seasons.At 4:42 of the first period, Mark Stone opened the scoring after corralling a high flip pass from Brayden McNabb, dropping the puck to himself on a breakaway and beating Mackenzie Blackwood for a 1-0 lead. Following a scoreless second period, Cole Smith doubled Vegas’ advantage with 5:45 remaining when he redirected Dylan Coghlan’s shot through Blackwood’s five-hole. Gabriel Landeskog answered late for Colorado, but the Golden Knights held on for the victory as Carter Hart stopped 20 of 21 shots.Smith netted the game-winning goal and his third tally of the postseason, while Stone continued his strong stretch with his third goal and fifth point in his last four games. McNabb added the primary assist on Stone’s opener and led Vegas in ice time at 23:56. Hart finished with a .952 save percentage as the Golden Knights extended their playoff win streak to six games.Vegas recorded the second playoff sweep in franchise history and outscored Colorado, 14-7, across the Western Conference Final. Hart turned aside 118 shots in the series and posted a .944 save percentage while extending his personal winning streak to six games, the longest in franchise history. Shea Theodore continued his standout postseason with 21 career points in series-clinching games, the most among active NHL defensemen, and also leads the NHL this postseason with 46 blocked shots. Mitch Marner paces all skaters with 21 playoff points, Jack Eichel leads the league with 16 assists, and Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden are tied for the postseason lead with 10 goals each. Vegas also owns the top three postseason hit totals in the NHL, led by Ivan Barbashev (83), Keegan Kolesar (70), and Cole Smith (66).