Sports

Colorado Avalanche get swept by Vegas Golden Knights in Western Conference final

By Jesse Sarles

/ CBS/AP

After a season filled with promise and a march through two rounds of the playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche hit a brick wall against the Vegas Golden Knights. They got swept in the NHL's Western Conference Final and their season is over.

Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights scores a goal against MacKenzie Blackwood of the Colorado Avalanche during the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 26, 2026 in Las Vegas. David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images

The Golden Knights defeated the Avs in Las Vegas on Tuesday night by a score of 2-1 and dashed Colorado's hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Golden Knights faced an Avalanche team that rolled through the regular season and won the Presidents' Trophy before going 8-1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

The odds favored the Avalanche to be the team to come out of the West, but history did not. Chicago in 2013 was the last team to claim the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

Colorado coach Jared Bednar searched for answers against the Golden Knights, even changing goalies on Tuesday, going with Mackenzie Blackwood over Scott Wedgewood. The Avalanche also dealt with injuries to their top two players during the series -- reigning Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar and Hart Trophy finalist Nathan MacKinnon both missed time.

Jesse Sarles

Jesse Sarles manages the web content and website operations for CBS Colorado. He writes articles about Colorado news and sports in and around the Denver area.

© 2026 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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