Golden Knights Reach Stanley Cup Finals With 2-1 Sweep of Avalanche — Stanley Cup Finals

The Vegas Golden Knights are back in the stanley cup finals after a 2-1 home win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday completed a Western Conference Final sweep. It is the third time in nine seasons the franchise has reached the final, and it pushed the discussion back to how Vegas keeps getting there.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon said Wednesday that the Golden Knights do not need to apologize for how they have built the roster or handled the business around it. “I think we largely ignore it, to be honest,” he said, adding, “It is what it is, and we’re not going to be able to change people’s minds.”

McCrimmon Defends Vegas Decisions

McCrimmon tied that view to the criticism Vegas has taken since the franchise was built through the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. He said the organization has been criticized for moving on from Marc-Andre Fleury in 2021, and for the coaching change on March 29, when Bruce Cassidy was fired and replaced by John Tortorella with eight games left in the regular season.

He also addressed the club’s handling of postgame media access after eliminating the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Second Round, saying the team was wrong about limiting availability. The message from the front office was blunt: “We are committed to winning and treating our people well. I don’t think we need to apologize or worry about what people on the outside think about.”

Colorado Runs Into Vegas

That sweep sent Colorado home after Jared Bednar summed it up in one line: “We ran into a buzzsaw.” Vegas controlled the series well enough to finish it in four games, and the final score Tuesday was tight enough at 2-1 to show how quickly one mistake could swing the night.

The Golden Knights’ run also fits their short history. They won the Stanley Cup in 2023, and this latest trip gives them a third appearance in the championship round since entering the league in 2017. For a team that has already moved through major roster and coaching shifts, the immediate pressure now is on carrying this postseason into another title chance rather than just the final itself.