Golden Knights Crush Avalanche 4-0 in WCF to Reach 3rd Stanley Cup Final

The Vegas Golden Knights reached their 3rd Stanley Cup Final in 9 years after sweeping the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 in the Western Conference Final.

Golden Knights Crush Avalanche 4-0 in WCF to Reach 3rd Stanley Cup Final

Vegas Golden Knights (Image via ESPN)

In Short
  • The Vegas Golden Knights completed a 4-0 sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.
  • This victory marks the Golden Knights' third appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
  • Mitch Marner contributed significantly with 3 assists in the WCF, totaling 21 points in the playoffs.

The Vegas Golden Knights are heading to the Stanley Cup Final. On Tuesday, they defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final (WCF) and completed the sweep. This saw them reach their 3rd Stanley Cup Final.

Before the playoffs, the Avs were seen as the team to beat. The Denver-based side clinched the President’s Trophy this season while finishing with a 55-16-11.

In the playoffs, they first swept the Los Angeles Kings 4-0 before taking down the Minnesota Wild 4-1 in the second round. The Golden Knights, on the other hand, eliminated the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in the first round before defeating the Anaheim Ducks in 6 games as well.

In the WCF, though, the Golden Knights were the dominant force. A 4-2 win in Game 1 was followed by a 3-1 victory in Game 2. In Game 3, it seemed the Avs had finally arrived in the conference finals.

They took a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period and were cruising. However, the Golden Knights produced one of the greatest comebacks in Stanley Cup playoffs history and came back to win 5-3 to stun their opponents.

This marked the first time this season that the Avalanche had lost a game while having a multi-goal lead. They were 52-0-0 in both regular and postseason games before this encounter when they were leading by multiple goals.

The Avs had a huge hill to climb. Only 4 times in Stanley Cup playoffs history had a team come back from 3-0 down to win a series.

The Golden Knights struck first in Game 4 through captain Mark Stone. He scored within the opening 5 minutes to put his side 1-0 up.

Cole Smith doubled the lead in the third period. While Gabriel Landeskog pulled a goal back for the Avs later on, it was not enough as they lost 2-1 and got swept in the WCF.

Following the win, the Golden Knights decided to have some fun. In a post on their official X account, they threw a brutal jab at the Avs with a 1-word message while simply writing their opponent’s name, but with 4 L’s in their name. They would later delete this tweet.

avaLLLLanche

Golden Knights wrote in a now deleted tweet

In the end, the Golden Knights outscored the Avs 14-7 over 4 games. They will now play in their 3rd Stanley Cup Final, having lost in their first attempt in 2018 against the Washington Capitals before winning it in 2023 against the Florida Panthers.

RELATED
Jessica Pegula Slams Troll for ‘Rich Spoiled Brat’ Criticism After Buffalo Sabres’ No Goal Controversy

Mitch Marner gets hyped up as Golden Knights reach Stanley Cup Final

The Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to their 3rd Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4. Following their triumph in the Western Conference Final, Mitch Marner was left hyped up.

Golden Knights' Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner (Image via ClutchPoints)

Before the start of the season, Marner generated a massive buzz through his move to the Golden Knights. The Canadian international left the Toronto Maple Leafs after spending 9 seasons.

During his time in Toronto, he was part of the “Core 4” of the Maple Leafs alongside John Tavares, William Nylander, and Austin Matthews.

Despite this, he never reached the finals. In his first attempt with the Golden Knights, he has reached the Final and is 4 wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup.

The Maple Leafs suffered some heavy defeats in the early rounds. Marner found himself under the heat following the team’s underwhelming performances. While speaking with Sportsnet’s Shawn McKenzie, the forward admitted that he had some dark moments in his career.

There’ve been some dark moments in my hockey career, really. Some tough moments and my parents have been beside me, my wife’s been beside me, so many friends and family. … Excited to share this with them right now and get to work and be ready to go.

Mitch Marner said

Marner finished the WCF with 3 assists in 4 games. He has racked up 21 points (7 goals and 14 assists) in the playoffs this season.

He and his side will now face the winners of the Eastern Conference Final. At the moment, the Carolina Hurricanes are leading the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 following a second successive 3-2 OT victory in Game 3.

Also Read: