Golden Knights Eliminate Ducks, Advance to Western Conference Final

Howden Keeps Making History

Brett Howden added another short-handed goal later in the first period to extend the lead to 2-0. It marked Howden’s third short-handed goal of the postseason, tying an NHL record for most in a single playoff run.

Marner recorded the assist, his fourth short-handed helper of the playoffs. “Me and Mitcher are building a little something here,” Howden said.

Shea Theodore pushed the lead to 3-0 late in the opening period with a power-play goal just five seconds into the man advantage. By then, Anaheim was already reeling. “They were harder on pucks,” Ducks forward Troy Terry admitted.

Mikael Granlund scored on the power play midway through the second period to cut the deficit to 3-1 and briefly spark the crowd. But Vegas quickly shut the door.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in the third period, including another finish after capitalizing on a failed Anaheim clearing attempt. Dorofeyev now leads the NHL playoffs with nine goals.

Carter Hart stopped 31 shots as Vegas once again displayed the defensive structure and playoff experience that made them Stanley Cup champions in 2023. Meanwhile, Lukas Dostal made 16 saves for Anaheim. Despite the loss, Anaheim’s playoff return after an eight-year absence exceeded expectations.

Rookie standout Beckett Sennecke emerged as one of the breakout stars of the postseason, while coach Joel Quenneville emphasized the experience gained from the run. “It’s a great learning curve going forward,” Quenneville said.

Vegas played without top defenseman Brayden McNabb, who served a one-game suspension after his interference hit on Ryan Poehling in Game 5. Poehling missed Game 6 with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Dylan Coghlan stepped into McNabb’s role and finished plus-3 with four hits.

Western Conference Final Set

Now the Golden Knights shift focus to a massive showdown against the Avalanche. Vegas has reached the conference final four times in seven seasons since entering the NHL in 2017, continuing one of the most successful expansion-era runs in league history.

Vegas came out flying. Marner and Dorofeyev led the attack. Now the Golden Knights are four wins away from another Stanley Cup Final appearance.