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Golden Knights pull off historic feat not seen in over 30 years
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- Golden Knights pull off historic feat not seen in over 30 years
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The Vegas Golden Knights just finished authoring one of the biggest upsets in recent Stanley Cup Playoff memory, sweeping the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche and finishing the job with a 2-1 victory at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night.
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The Knights are back into the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2023, while the Avs are left to pick up the pieces after a truly stunning result.
John Tortorella’s club made history in the process ; they are the first team to sweep the Presidents’ Trophy winners in the Conference Finals or later since the Devils did so in the 1995 Stanley Cup Final against the Red Wings , per OptaSTATS.
Tortorella also made history, becoming just the third coach in NHL history to lead his team to the Cup Final after taking over in the final 10 games of the season.
The Avalanche dominated the regular season before sweeping the Los Angeles Kings and beating the Minnesota Wild in five games. They entered the West Final as heavy favorites against a Knights team that only won 39 games in 2025-26.
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But the playoffs are an entirely different beast, and Colorado learned that in shocking fashion this spring .
“Our ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup,” said captain Mark Stone , who scored the opening goal in Game 4, per NHL.com’s Paul Delos Santos. “We still have four more wins that we want to accomplish. Happy with where we are, and we put ourselves in a spot to ultimately compete for it.”
It’s been an impressive decade for the Golden Knights , who advanced to the Finals in their inaugural season in 2018, losing to the Washington Capitals in five games.
But they were back in hockey’s ultimate series five years later, and this time they finished the job, beating the Florida Panthers in five games in 2023.
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Now, three seasons later, they’ll have an opportunity to make it two titles in four years, as they await the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens . The Canes lead the East Final 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled for Wednesday.
Related: Golden Knights’ John Tortorella wants media ‘off Jared Bednar’s a**’
Related: Golden Knights’ Mark Stone drops bar on not touching trophy after Avalanche sweep
