The Vegas Golden Knights are heading back to familiar territory. For the fifth time in their brief nine-year franchise history, the defending champions are one of the final four teams remaining in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Vegas officially punched its ticket to the Western Conference Final on Thursday night, overwhelming the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 in Game 6 to win the second-round series four games to two.
THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL IS SET 🤩
— NHL (@NHL) May 15, 2026
The @GoldenKnights will battle the @Avalanche for a spot in the #StanleyCup Final!
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The series-clinching victory was powered by a relentless offensive attack, featuring multi-point performances from forwards Mitch Marner and Pavel Dorofeyev, alongside defenseman Shea Theodore. Marner was the undeniable catalyst, silencing the Honda Center crowd just over a minute into the first period with a spectacular solo effort that is already being hailed as the highlight of the postseason.
Thursday's lopsided blowout was a stark departure from the rest of the tightly contested matchup. The two Pacific Division rivals traded blows through the first four games, arriving at a 2-2 series deadlock earlier this week.
As is often the case in the postseason, Game 5 proved to be the ultimate pivot point. Locked in a tense 2-2 tie during Tuesday's crucial matchup, Dorofeyev struck just over four minutes into overtime, giving Vegas a 3-2 victory and the suffocating momentum they carried directly into Thursday’s clincher.
The Golden Knights will now prepare for a heavyweight clash against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.