Golden Knights eliminate Ducks

The Vegas Golden Knights ended the Anaheim Ducks’ season with a 5-1 win in Game 6 of their Western Conference second-round series on Thursday at Honda Center. Vegas won the best-of-seven matchup 4-2 and advanced to the Western Conference Final, where it will face the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in the third period, and Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore each had a goal and an assist for Vegas. Carter Hart made 31 saves as the Golden Knights moved on. ### How did Vegas put Anaheim away so quickly? Mitch Marner gave Vegas a 1-0 lead at 1:02 of the first period on the Golden Knights’ first shot of the game. NHL.com said William Karlsson sent a stretch pass to Marner, who got behind Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe and finished after pulling the puck through his legs near the crease. (nhl.com) Brett Howden made it 2-0 at 8:30 with a short-handed goal on Anaheim’s first power play. NHL.com said Marner carried the puck up ice after the Ducks rimmed it around the boards and found Howden for a one-timer from the right hash marks. Shea Theodore then pushed the lead to 3-0 at 18:02 of the first period. (nhl.com) ### What did the final numbers look like? The final score was 5-1, with Anaheim outshooting Vegas 32-21, according to the NHL game center. Dorofeyev scored twice in the third period, while Mikael Granlund had the Ducks’ only goal. Lukas Dostal made 16 saves for Anaheim. Brett Howden’s short-handed goal was his third of the 2026 playoffs, tying an NHL record for most short-handed goals in a single postseason, NHL.com reported. (nhl.com) Marner, meanwhile, reached 18 playoff points on seven goals and 11 assists, according to NHL.com’s recap. ### What did the players and coaches say after the game? (nhl.com) Mitch Marner said Vegas had been working toward “little goals” all season and now had to reset quickly for the next round. “We’ve got to take these couple days, whatever we have, try to refuel and refresh and be ready to go,” he told NHL.com. (nhl.com) Mikael Granlund said Anaheim’s loss followed a pattern from the regular season, when the Ducks sometimes fell behind early and had to chase games. Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said, “Tonight was kind of what happened too many times this year where we give up a couple quick ones early,” according to NHL.com. (nhl.com) ### How far has Vegas gone in this postseason? Vegas reached the conference final after beating the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in the first round and Anaheim 4-2 in the second round, according to the NHL playoff bracket. NHL.com said the Golden Knights have now advanced to the third round for the fourth time in the past seven seasons. (nhl.com) Anaheim had advanced by eliminating the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 in the first round before losing to Vegas in six games. The NHL bracket lists Colorado’s second-round win over Minnesota as the other completed Western semifinal, setting up the Avalanche-Golden Knights matchup. ### What comes next in the West? Game 1 of the Western Conference Final is scheduled for Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver. (nhl.com) NHL.com listed the start time as 8 p.m. ET, with ESPN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports and CBC carrying the game. The NHL playoff bracket shows Colorado and Vegas as the remaining teams in the West. (nhl.com) Anaheim’s season is over, while Vegas moves on needing four wins against the Avalanche to reach the Stanley Cup Final. (nhl.com)