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The Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in their short history on Tuesday night, sweeping the Colorado Avalanche 4-0.
The Golden Knights accomplished the feat after making a bizarre move late in the regular season. Vegas made the abrupt decision to fire head coach Bruce Cassidy and replace him with John Tortorella with just eight games remaining in the regular season.
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Vegas head coach John Tortorella’s refusal to speak to the media after Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks cost him and the team more than expected. (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
Vegas won seven of its final eight games of the season, losing only in a shootout to the Seattle Kraken. This surge helped the team solidify a playoff spot. They then defeated the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in six games each before eliminating the Western Conference’s top seed, the Avalanche.
“This is by far our best game,” Tortorella said after the Game 4 victory. “(Checking is) something we’ve focused on, and I think we’ve gotten better as the rounds have gone on. But tonight’s game was our best body-checking effort, and that was a heck of a hockey team we faced there.”
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Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella watches the first period of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on May 20, 2026. (David Zalubowski/AP)
Mark Stone and Cole Smith scored in the Golden Knights’ 2-1 win.
Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart made 20 saves and believed the team’s defense was frustrating Colorado.
“I think once we got that first goal, in the second and third period, we kind of locked the score in and kept the pressure on them,” Hart said. “We did a great job. We made some huge blocks tonight.”
Tortorella is now four wins away from winning the second Stanley Cup title of his career. He guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to the championship in 2004, but hasn’t returned since.
Vegas Golden Knights centers Colton Sissons, Tomas Hertl and Jack Eichel celebrate after winning Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas on May 26, 2026. (John Locher/AP)
Vegas Golden Knights right winger Mark Stone celebrates after winning Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas on May 26, 2026. (John Locher/AP)
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Vegas will meet the winner of the series between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens.
