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Colorado defeats Vegas 4-2, clinches Western Conference title

5/21/2026

48 8 Full Breakdown

Summary

Colorado Wins West

Colorado defeated the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Western Conference Final in six games.
Cale Makar missed Game 1, his first playoff absence, as Colorado’s lineup featured Landeskog, MacKinnon, Necas, Kadri, Nichushkin, Burns and goalie Scott Wedgewood.
MoneyPuck gave Colorado a 60 % chance to win Game 1 at –190 odds, noting Nathan MacKinnon’s 13 points, Mitch Marner’s 18 points, and Carter Hart’s .917 save percentage.

Summary

Avalanche West Final

The Western Conference Final starts May 20, with the Avalanche holding home-ice advantage for Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, and all games airing on ESPN and streaming on ESPN+.
This is the teams’ second playoff meeting; the Golden Knights beat Colorado 4-2 in the 2021 postseason.
During the regular season the teams split a three-game series 1-1-1, with two overtime games.
The April 11 meeting ended in a 3-2 overtime win for Vegas.

History

Historical Context

In 1995 the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver, becoming the Colorado Avalanche, and in their first 1995-96 season they won the Stanley Cup, sweeping the Florida Panthers 4-0 as captain Joe Sakic led the playoffs with 34 points and Patrick Roy guarded the net. By 2024 the Avs returned to the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

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Colorado Wins West

Colorado defeated the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Western Conference Final in six games.
Cale Makar missed Game 1, his first playoff absence, as Colorado’s lineup featured Landeskog, MacKinnon, Necas, Kadri, Nichushkin, Burns and goalie Scott Wedgewood.
MoneyPuck gave Colorado a 60 % chance to win Game 1 at –190 odds, noting Nathan MacKinnon’s 13 points, Mitch Marner’s 18 points, and Carter Hart’s .917 save percentage.

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