Facing a Colorado team that won the Presidents’ Trophy, the Vegas Golden Knights go for a sweep in Game 4 Tuesday night—one win from their third Stanley Cup Final trip in nine seasons, and a potential matchup with Carolina or Montreal.
LAS VEGAS — The Golden Knights know what it would mean to take another step forward on Tuesday night: one more win, and the series ends with a sweep of a Colorado team built for dominance.
Vegas is going for that highly unlikely return to the Stanley Cup Final when they host the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in Game 4. If the Golden Knights pull it off, it would be their third trip to the Cup final in nine seasons. From there, they would face Carolina or Montreal.
This has never been a simple story. Vegas’ path to this point didn’t follow the script fans were expecting when the season nearly slipped away. For just the second time in franchise history. the team faced the possibility of not making the playoffs. and management made a sharp decision with eight games left in the regular season.
Coach Bruce Cassidy was fired. John Tortorella was brought in. and what followed was as striking as the move itself: a 7-0-1 record to close the regular season. then series victories over Utah and Anaheim. Vegas then ran into an Avalanche team that rolled through the regular season before carrying that momentum into the playoffs. going 8-1 in the first two rounds.
On paper, the odds leaned toward Colorado coming out of the West. History, though, hasn’t always matched the math. Chicago in 2013 was the last team to claim the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season—an example that still matters when a championship-caliber club comes with so much expectation.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar tried to find answers against Vegas, even changing goalies for this game. Mackenzie Blackwood will start, replacing Scott Wedgewood. The Avalanche are also dealing with injuries to key players this series. with reigning Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar and Hart Trophy finalist Nathan MacKinnon both sidelined.
Vegas has had to navigate its own trouble. The Golden Knights won the first two games of the series without captain Mark Stone.
That mix—Colorado’s season-long strength colliding with Vegas’ willingness to reinvent itself midstream. all while both sides deal with injuries—sets the tone for where Game 4 could land. For the Golden Knights, it’s not just another matchup. It’s the chance to turn a shaky regular season into something rarer: a sweep. and a final round berth that would feel almost impossible by the numbers.
Golden Knights Avalanche Game 4 Presidents' Trophy Stanley Cup Final Tortorella Cassidy Blackwood Wedgewood Makar MacKinnon Mark Stone