The Vegas Golden Knights were 0-19 in the playoffs when trailing by that many goals, while Colorado were 74-1 when leading by three or more. But that night, it was time to rewrite the history books. Vegas rallied back in the second period, scoring three goals to even out the scoreboard.
Both teams traded shots in the grand finale, but the goalies defused all of them. Until Vegas’ Tomas Hertl received the puck on the left side, weaved his way toward the net, and fired a backhand shot that found the bottom of the net.
His goal put Vegas ahead 4-3 with 11:39 to go. The Avalanche didn’t find a comeback formula; they remained scoreless for the rest of the game and ultimately lost 5-3, after Vegas sealed the Game 3 victory with an empty netter.
“This is a game where we showed some balls,” said head coach John Tortorella after the game.
“We’ve been all season long many times down,” Hertl added. “We’ve come back so many times. Even after the first, when we were down 3-0, we knew we could do it.”
Colorado hoped to become just the fifth team in NHL history to climb back from a 3-0 deficit and win the series, but their efforts proved ineffective as Vegas took the final game of the series with a 2-1 win and punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in their nine-year history.
The Golden Knights showcased a suffocating defense, as they limited one of the best offensive teams in the league to just one goal.
“It’s by far our best game,” said Tortorella. “Checking is something we’ve been concentrating on, and I think we’ve gotten better and better through the rounds. But tonight’s game was our best checking effort, and that’s a hell of a hockey team we played over there.”
With that win, Vegas completed the sweep of a team that was highly favored to win the title.
Bold decision
In the regular season, the Avalanche averaged a league-best 3.63 goals per game. In the first two playoff rounds, they upped it to 4.11. But against the pesky Vegas defense? The average sank to 1.75.
“We ran into a buzz saw in Vegas,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I think they deserved the credit. It’s not a knock on how hard they played, but they’re a well-oiled machine right now, peaking at the right time. I look at their series, and man-to-man, they’re playing at the top of their game. We’ll have to regroup and reassess and reflect on our season and the series and go from there.”
The Golden Knights are playing the best hockey of the season. But just a couple of months ago, they found themselves on the verge of missing the playoffs – for just the second time in franchise history.
In late March, the team fell into a slump, going on a three-game losing streak and losing six out of their last seven games. Vegas was in third place in the Pacific Division, putting its postseason in jeopardy.
The Golden Knights were 5-10-2 since the Olympic break and far from an ideal playing mood and flow. The leadership saw an immediate need for a change and took a risk with just eight games to go in the regular season.
Then, the news shook the hockey world as the abrupt decision went public when Vegas fired head coach Bruce Cassidy, replacing him with Tortorella.
“Bruce will forever be remembered with the utmost regard by our organization for what was accomplished here. With the stretch run of the 2025-26 regular season upon us, we believe that a change is necessary for us to return to the level of play that is expected of our club,” GM Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement.
The gamble paid off
Cassidy led Vegas to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2023 and compiled a 178-99-43 record over nearly four seasons. But in an organization defined by aggressive expectations, patience remained scarce.
The Golden Knights' gamble to move on with their fourth head coach paid off.
After hiring Tortorella, the Golden Knights won seven of the last eight games and secured a Pacific Division crown. Earning the first seed, they eliminated the Utah Mammoth in six games, then needed the same number of contests to send home the Anaheim Ducks.
The Colorado Avalanche team was meant to be the real test. Instead, the rolling Golden Knights put them on their heels, pushed their back against the wall, and never looked back, dismantling one of the most elite teams in NHL history in four games.
Colorado wasn’t just another No. 1 seed. The team conquered the regular season and were awarded the Presidents' Trophy after totaling 121 points.
On top of leading the league in goals per game, they also ranked first in assists with 522 and penalty kill at 84.6%. Powered by superstars Martin Necas, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar, the Avalanche also led the NHL in total shots with 2,766.
The franchise allowed the fewest goals and had the best save percentage at .914.
The curse rings true
The team dominated and had the best odds to win the championship for months. But ultimately, Colorado suffered the consequences of the so-called Presidents’ curse. The old curse says that the best regular-season team – that wins the Presidents’ Trophy – won’t win the Stanley Cup.
Chicago were the last team to avert it in 2013. Since then, the organization awarded the crown hasn’t stood on top.
Several dominant teams have fallen short since then. In 2019, the Tampa Bay Lightning posted 128 points — the fifth-highest total in NHL history — only to be swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 2023, the Boston Bruins set an NHL record with 135 points before losing to the Florida Panthers in seven games in the first round.
Colorado already knew how difficult it is to pull off the double; they won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2021 but were eliminated in the second round by none other than the Golden Knights in six games.
This season appeared different.
Colorado looked poised to finally break through until it collided with the peaking Golden Knights team. Now Vegas faces a superstition of its own: the Conference Curse.
In 2018, the Golden Knights won the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after winning the Western Conference, then lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Washington Capitals. The defeat fueled the long-running belief that teams that touch the conference trophy are doomed to lose the Cup Final.
When Vegas returned to the Final in 2023, the Golden Knights refused to touch the trophy and went on to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
This year, after sweeping Colorado, Vegas again avoided the trophy entirely.
Can the Golden Knights finish the job once more?