The Vegas Golden Knights closed out Colorado with a 2-1 win at T-Mobile Arena, completing a 4-0 sweep in the NHL Playoffs Conference Championships. Mark Stone scored early, Carter Hart stood tall late, and the West’s defending heavyweights punched their ticket to the Final. The Avalanche pushed, but Vegas kept the game under control in front of 18,188 fans in Paradise, Nevada.

Vegas now waits for the Eastern Conference winner. As of now, the Carolina Hurricanes lead the Montreal Canadiens 2:1 in that series. On Sofascore you can track the schedule, live stats and Sofascore Rating updates as the Stanley Cup picture comes into focus.

How Vegas closed the series

Stone set the tone just five minutes in, finishing a neat even-strength sequence fed by Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore. Colorado then steadied, but Hart handled the traffic and second pucks that followed. The first period belonged to Vegas on the details, from hits to blocked shots, and that early goal allowed Bruce Cassidy’s team to dictate matchups and pace.

The third period delivered the decisive twist. Cole Smith made it 2-0 at 55 minutes, redirecting a Nic Dowd feed with Dylan Coghlan adding the second assist. Gabriel Landeskog pulled one back at 58 minutes from Martin Necas and Nazem Kadri, setting up a nervy finish. Vegas absorbed the late surge, kept the slot clean, and managed the clock. Special teams were quiet with both sides going 0% on the power play, so five-on-five control told the story. When the horn sounded, it capped a sweep built on structure, goaltending and timely finishing.

Key numbers and tactical notes

Vegas outshot Colorado 26-21 and owned the faceoff circle at 55% behind a strong night from Jack Eichel, who went 69% at the dots. The Golden Knights also led blocks 14-11 and had the shorter average shot distance, 9.8 meters to 11.4, which matched the eye test of their interior pressure. Corsi (53.4%) and Fenwick (56.9%) backed up the territorial edge, particularly in the first two periods.

Even-strength shooting told the tale too. Vegas finished 2 of 19 at five-on-five for 10%, while Colorado went 1 of 20 for 5%. On the goaltending side, Hart stopped 20 of 21 shots for a .952 save percentage and took the third star. Mackenzie Blackwood kept Colorado alive with 24 saves on 26 shots for a .923 mark. The Avalanche threw more hits in the final frame, but the Knights’ clean exits and layers through the neutral zone kept rush chances under wraps. On Sofascore you can dive into the full box score, shot maps and live win probability to see how the game tilted.

MVP of the game: Mark Stone

Stone earned first-star honors by doing what big-game captains do. He scored the opener, logged three hits, finished +1 and gave Vegas the calm start the series-clincher needed. His goal came from classic Stone timing, arriving in space as McNabb’s point delivery and Theodore’s support stretched the defense.

Beyond the stat line, Stone’s reads on the forecheck and backpressure through the neutral zone were spotless. He helped Vegas win the puck back early in shifts and denied Colorado clean entries when they chased the game. Stone finished with two shots but felt present on nearly every key touch because of how he shaped the ice for his linemates. If you follow the game through Sofascore, his Sofascore Rating reflects that two-way influence and first-star impact. It was a tidy, veteran MVP performance in a series-sealing win.

The Knights are through, the brooms are back in the closet, and a few deserved rest days begin. Whether it is Carolina or Montreal, Vegas will like the way it is trending. Stay with Sofascore for NHL Playoffs live scores, Sofascore Ratings, player heatmaps and all the numbers that make sense of nights like this one.