Golden Knights' Game 6 win sets up Avalanche vs. Golden Knights in West final

Vegas clinched the Western Conference’s last remaining spot on May 14, when the Golden Knights beat Anaheim 5-1 in Game 6 at Honda Center to close the second-round series and book a matchup with Colorado. Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice, Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore struck in the first period, and Carter Hart stopped 31 of 32 shots in the clincher, according to NHL GameCenter. The result sends Vegas into a conference final against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche, with Game 1 set for Wednesday, May 20, in Denver. The NHL had released the West final start date a day earlier in its conference-final schedule scenarios and then posted the confirmed matchup schedule after Vegas advanced. ### How did Vegas finish off Anaheim? Vegas put the series away with a three-goal first period on May 14. Mitch Marner scored 1:02 into the game, Brett Howden added a short-handed goal at 8:30, and Shea Theodore made it 3-0 on a power play at 17:19, according to NHL GameCenter. Dorofeyev added two third-period goals, giving him nine in the playoffs, and Anaheim’s only answer was Mikael Granlund’s second-period power-play goal. (nhl.com) Carter Hart posted a.969 save percentage in the game as the Golden Knights won despite being outshot 32-21. ### When does the Avalanche-Golden Knights series start? (nhl.com) The NHL said on May 14 that the Western Conference Final would begin Wednesday, May 20, in Denver, regardless of whether Vegas or Anaheim advanced. In the schedule scenario released by NHL Public Relations, Games 1, 2 and 3 were set for 8 p.m. Eastern on May 20, May 22 and May 24. (nhl.com) The league’s scenario release also listed Game 4 for Tuesday, May 26, with the start time still to be determined, and if necessary Games 5, 6 and 7 for May 28, May 30 and June 1. The May 30 game was listed for ABC, while the other confirmed windows in the West were on ESPN in the United States. (nhl.com) ### Why was some of the conference-final schedule still unsettled? The NHL’s May 14 announcement said the Eastern Conference final would begin either Tuesday, May 19, or Thursday, May 21, depending on whether the Buffalo-Montreal second-round series ended in six or seven games. Carolina had already secured its place in that series as Metropolitan Division regular-season champion. (nhl.com) That same release said start times and broadcast information for games listed as TBD would be announced when available. The Western Conference Final opener, by contrast, was locked into May 20 in Denver before the Vegas-Anaheim series ended. ### What do the betting markets say now? (nhl.com) ESPN Betting listed Colorado at +130 to win the Stanley Cup and Vegas at +600 after the conference-final field came into focus. Those prices left the Avalanche as the shortest-priced team on the board and moved the Golden Knights closer to the top tier of remaining contenders. (nhl.com) Independent market listings published after Vegas advanced also showed Colorado favored in the head-to-head series. Those numbers are not official league information, but they tracked the same basic view as ESPN’s futures board: Colorado entered the round as the favorite and Vegas shortened after eliminating Anaheim. (espn.com) ### What history do these teams bring into the matchup? Colorado enters with home-ice advantage because the Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy, the NHL said in its schedule release. Vegas enters as the Pacific Division representative after dispatching Anaheim in six games. The series opens Wednesday, May 20, at Ball Arena, with Game 2 on May 22 and Game 3 shifting to Las Vegas on May 24, according to the NHL’s published schedule. (sportsbettingdime.com) The Eastern Conference final start date remains tied to the outcome of Buffalo versus Montreal. (nhl.com)