Sweep! Golden Knights beat Avalanche, advance to Stanley Cup Final

The Western Conference Final started six days ago. None of what happened was on any expert’s bingo card.

A sweep? Maybe on the other side. A quick series? Possibly.

In this way? In this fashion? Not a chance.

Tell that to the Vegas Golden Knights, and they’ll say they they never lost belief. That they felt they could hang with the NHL’s Goliath and give them their best shot. That they felt they deserved to be one of the last teams standing.

It took four uppercuts. The knockout blow landed.

The Knights are going back to the Stanley Cup Final after completing an unthinkable sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche following a 2-1 win at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

“You always hope for it,” forward Mitch Marner said of the sweep. “You have belief in the group at all times. You have belief in everyone that’s going over the boards.

“We took it game by game. We didn’t think ahead. We knew it was going to be a grind, and it was.”

Knights’ wild ride

Find any term to describe when this series first started in Denver on May 20 — when the Knights took a three-goal lead into the third period of Ball Arena in Game 1. The momentum rolled from there.

It turned into a third-period comeback in Game 2. A three-goal rally in Game 3 for the largest playoff comeback in team history. Capped off by their best end-to-end game of the series.

The Knights became the seventh team in NHL history to sweep a best-of-seven series against the NHL’s top team during the regular season.

Now, a lengthy layoff is on the horizon. The Knights await the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes lead the series 2-1.

Captain Mark Stone scored for a second straight game since returning to the lineup, and fourth-line winger Cole Smith added an insurance goal with 5:45 remaining to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.

“You don’t take it for granted,” Smith said. “They’re a great team. But credit to everybody in this locker room. We were able to get it done. It’s pretty cool, and it’s pretty special.”

Goaltender Carter Hart made 20 saves and carried a shutout into the third period until Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog scored with 2:03 remaining. It took a 6-on-5 goal for the Avalanche to generate their most dangerous chance.

The Avalanche were held to three shots in the third before Smith tipped defenseman Dylan Coghlan’s shot and sent T-Mobile Arena into a thunderous roar.

Colorado had seven shots in its final 20 minutes of the season.

“We checked our ass off,” coach John Tortorella said. “That’s how you win in this league, is by checking.”

Tortorella will never take credit for the turnaround that’s been under his watch since he was hired March 29 to replace Bruce Cassidy. The Knights are 19-4-1 since he became the fourth coach in team history nearly two months ago.

Now, Tortorella will coach in his first Stanley Cup Final since he coached the Tampa Bay Lightning to their first championship in 2004.

“After spending a couple weeks with the team, you could tell it’s a really good group,” Tortorella said. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity. Thrilled to be on the ride with them.”

Fast start for Stone

The Knights got off to a better start than they did in Game 3, thanks to the skill — and surprising speed — of their captain.

Stone, like a true center fielder, caught a lob from defenseman Brayden McNabb, settled it down and — clocked at 19 miles per hour — skated in alone. Stone stopped on a dime, deked Colorado goalie Mackenzie Blackwood and opened the scoring at 4:42 of the first.

That was the only offensive highlight through 40 minutes. The rest of the night was dictated by the goaltenders.

Blackwood, making his first start since May 13, took a little bit to shake off the rust. He also answered with massive saves of his own, including two on Pavel Dorofeyev during a Knights power play in the second period.

Hart outdueled both Blackwood and incumbent starter Scott Wedgewood in the end, holding the high-octane Colorado offense to seven goals the entire series. The 27-year-old finished with a .944 save percentage in the sweep.

“(Hart’s) been amazing this whole series. The whole playoffs, really,” Marner said. “Made some massive saves throughout all these games.”

The Knights, much like they did in Dallas in 2023, chose not to touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. They did it in 2018 and lost to Washington in their inaugural season. They did not in 2023, and wound up winning the Stanley Cup.

They’re back for the second time in four years. Not many believed they’d make it back. Except for those in that locker room, even when things looked dire two months ago.

“I consider the first three rounds the playoffs,” Tortorella said. “The last round, that’s when we play for the Stanley Cup. We have an opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup. Proud of the guys.”