Vegas Ends Avalanche Run, Punches Ticket to Stanley Cup Final

Vegas has a way of turning high-stakes hockey into a cold-blooded business trip, and this series keeps that reputation alive. The Avalanche came in carrying the weight of their own expectations, while the Golden Knights leaned into the kind of postseason structure that usually drives opponents nuts. There is more going on here than one team simply advancing, because the matchup keeps feeding an old playoff narrative that refuses to die.