NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
The Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in their short history on Tuesday night when they swept the Colorado Avalanche 4-0.
The Golden Knights accomplished the feat after making a bizarre move toward the end of the regular season. Vegas made the abrupt move of firing head coach Bruce Cassidy and replacing him with John Tortorella with just eight games left in the regular season.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
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 they probably bargained for. (Rob Grey-Imagn Photos)
Vegas won seven of its final eight games of the season, losing only in a shootout to the Seattle Kraken. The surge helped the team maintain a spot in the playoffs. They later defeated the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in six games each en route to beating the Western Conference’s top seed, the Avalanche.
“That’s by far our best game,” Tortorella said after the Game 4 win. “(Checking is) something we’ve been focusing on and I think we’ve gotten better and better through the rounds. But tonight’s game was our best control effort and that’s a heck of a hockey team we played over there.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella looks on during 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 victory.
Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart made 20 saves and believed the team’s defense frustrated Colorado.
“I think once we scored the first goal, in the second and third periods, we kind of locked it down and kept the pressure on them,” Hart said. “We did a good job. We had some big blocks tonight.”
Tortorella is now four wins away from claiming the second Stanley Cup title of his career. He guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to the championship in 2004, but hasn’t been back 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 on May 26, 2026, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone celebrates after winning Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas on May 26, 2026. (John Locher/AP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Vegas will face the winner of the series between the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens.
