It's hard to believe that the Vegas Golden Knights swept the Presidents' Trophy winners back to the Mile High City. I know, I couldn't believe it, either. But the Golden Knights took care of business against the Colorado Avalanche, finishing the job on Tuesday.
We're talking about limiting Nathan MacKinnon to two assists during the Western Conference Final. Yes, you read that right. The Hart Memorial Trophy winner only had two assists throughout the series, a far cry from his seven goals and six assists before the series started.
Now, Golden Knights fans are partying like it's 2018 or 2023 (let's hope for 2023 again, please). Toshiba Plaza was bumping hard, even with the wind blowing and the sun melting everyone's faces off. But hey, hockey is hockey, right? You love this game no matter what happens.
But let's knight some Knights in the Las Vegas realm, shall we? Three names come to mind in this particular series, especially when it involves neutering Nathan MacKinnon. However, you'll be surprised to see that it isn't offensive players getting their roses. Instead, it's the defensive side that's getting all the love.
1.) Carter Hart
It can't be stated enough how incredible Carter Hart has been for the Vegas Golden Knights during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He has a GAA of 2.22 and a save percentage of .924 this postseason, keeping them afloat during the run.
But his Western Conference Final performance was exceptional in itself. He had a save percentage of .944 and a GAA of 1.75 against the Avalanche, allowing seven goals in four games. Stopping a solid Colorado offense helped Vegas get to its third Stanley Cup Final in three seasons.
2.) Dylan Coghlan
Getting one goal and two assists during the Western Conference Final is impressive enough for a depth defenseman. After all, Coghlan doesn't get enough credit for kick-starting the Golden Knights' scoring during the series. But the advanced stats show that he was one of the best defensemen in the series.
Final series impact card for Vegas Golden Knights after sweeping the Avs 4-0 pic.twitter.com/SKSGHJZmrP
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) May 27, 2026
That raised plenty of eyebrows within the hockey community. How could someone who had a hat trick against the Minnesota Wild and nothing else do this? It was impressive work that turned Coghlan into a folk hero. Speaking of defensemen...
3.) Brayden McNabb
Take a look at that stat card again. You'll notice that Coghlan wasn't the top-performing defenseman for the Golden Knights during that series. Instead, it happened to be an Original Misfit. That's right, dear reader. Brayden McNabb was a shining star.
Part of why Nathan MacKinnon and company struggled in the series was because of the Misfit controlling the defensive zone. His stick was active throughout the series and made life miserable for the Avalanche. As a result, Hart is happy and the Golden Knights are heading to their third Stanley Cup Final in their first nine seasons.
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