The Vegas Golden Knights completed a 2-1 sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas on Tuesday, booking their third Stanley Cup Final spot in nine seasons. Mark Stone and Cole Smith scored, while Carter Hart held the line after Gabriel Landeskog’s late third
In Las Vegas, the Golden Knights didn’t just win again on Tuesday — they finished the job. A 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche completed a sweep and booked Vegas’ spot in the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in the franchise’s nine-season history.
Captain Mark Stone and depth forward Cole Smith scored for the Golden Knights. Gabriel Landeskog responded with a goal late in the third period, but it was the only time the Avalanche managed to get past Carter Hart.
The sweep landed with extra weight because of what Colorado represented. The Avalanche had won the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top team in the regular season — the kind of dominance that usually forces everyone else to build their season around catching up. Vegas, though, arrived with a far rougher path. The Golden Knights fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella with eight games left in the regular season.
That coaching change didn’t just steady the team. Vegas went 7-0-1 under Tortorella to take first in the Pacific Division. and the momentum didn’t stop when the playoffs began. The result was a postseason that ended with the Avalanche — regular-season royalty — unable to solve Vegas once the series tightened.
Now Vegas is one series away from another celebration. The Golden Knights are chasing their second Stanley Cup after winning the title in 2023. They also know what disappointment feels like: Vegas lost to the Washington Capitals in 2018 in its expansion season.
Their Final opponent will come from the Eastern Conference. The Golden Knights will face the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina leads 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Wednesday.
Golden Knights Avalanche Stanley Cup Final Carter Hart Mark Stone Cole Smith Gabriel Landeskog John Tortorella Bruce Cassidy Presidents' Trophy Montreal Canadiens Carolina Hurricanes
Sweep?? Wild. Hart really locked it down.
I saw Tortorella and thought they’d be worse lol. Guess the coach change actually worked. Also Landeskog scoring late doesn’t really mean much if they still got swept.
Wait so is the Presidents Trophy like a playoff trophy? Cuz Colorado was basically the best team and then got shut down by Vegas, makes no sense. Maybe Colorado didn’t want it or something.
Stone and some other guy (Cole Smith?) scored and that’s it?? feels like the Avalanche barely showed up. Also I swear I heard Cassidy got fired because of something off-ice, not performance. Anyway Canadiens vs Hurricanes, I don’t even watch but I’m rooting for whoever plays defense better.