LAS VEGAS -- Cole Smith scored 14:15 into the third period, and the Vegas Golden Knights withstood a furious finish to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night, completing an improbable sweep.
The Golden Knights will return to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in franchise history after knocking off the league's No. 1 overall seed and Presidents' Trophy champions.
Vegas captain Mark Stone also scored in the win. Colorado drew closer in the third period with Gabriel Landeskog's sixth goal of the postseason.
"Now, the real stuff starts," Vegas coach John Tortorella told ESPN's Emily Kaplan on the ice after the game. "I consider the first three rounds the playoffs. But now? We're playing for the Stanley Cup."
The Golden Knights will take on the Carolina Hurricanes or Montreal Canadiens in the final round.
"There's no one particular person that carries the weight," Tortorella said. "It's a group situation, and that's what has kept us together."
The Golden Knights faced the possibility of not making the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history when management fired coach Bruce Cassidy, who led the club to the 2023 title, with eight games left in the regular season.
In came Tortorella, who validated the controversial decision by leading Vegas to a 7-0-1 record to close the regular season and then series victories over Utah and Anaheim. Then the Golden Knights faced an Avalanche team that rolled through the regular season before going 8-1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
"When you have the ebbs and flows of what goes on, this is a group that sticks together with the camaraderie," Tortorella said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
