With the Golden Knights bringing a 2-0 series lead back to Las Vegas, history is accompanying them when opening a playoff series with consecutive wins.
Vegas has won four of the five series it’s been in after winning Games 1 and 2, including the Western Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final in 2023.
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The Golden Knights defeated the West’s No. 1 seed Colorado 4-2 in Game 1, and came from behind with three unanswered goals for a 3-1 victory on Friday in Game 2.
Vegas goaltender Carter Hart continues to impress as one of the best players on the ice for the Knights. He leads all postseason goalies with 10 wins, and among netminders with at least four appearances, he ranks No. 3 with a .924 save percentage and No. 5 with a 2.25 goals-against average.
“I feel good,” Hart said. “I’m just trying to take things one period at a time, one shift at a time, and one puck at a time, and just enjoy it.”
The series resumes in Vegas with Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.
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Three of the series the Knights won after taking a 2-0 lead were during years they made it to the Stanley Cup Final, as they swept the Los Angeles Kings in 2018, when they lost to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Knights also defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in five games after taking a 2-0 series lead during the 2020 playoffs in the bubble.
The only time Vegas lost a playoff series after winning the first two games was in 2024, when they stole Games 1 and 2 in Dallas, but eventually lost in seven games.
“It changes quick,” Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood said. “You just bank on a seven-game series, find a way to get one next. It’s really all you can bank on and just prepare for that. But obviously, I think that’s the playoffs. It’s not an easy script, set in stone, predicted or prepared. This is the hand we’ve been dealt, we (have) to find a way to play it to our advantage.”
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History could also rear its ugly head onto the Avalanche, who finished the regular season with the league’s best record, at 55-16-11. Their 121 points earned them the Presidents’ Trophy award, but that hasn’t equated to success in terms of the Stanley Cup.
“Stings for sure right now, but tomorrow we’ll wake up, have a meeting, fly to Vegas and we’ll regroup,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “That’s all you can do. Win or lose, you do the same thing. Would we have liked this one tonight? For sure, but move on.”
The last team to win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season was the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012.
All that said, this series is far from over, especially if the Avalanche get back all-world defenseman Cale Makar, who missed the first two games of the series.
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“It’s big, obviously, getting two on the road, but it’s far from over, and we know that,” Noah Hanfin said. “It’s a long series. They’re a great team over there, and we have to stay even-keeled.
“We have to come home, really take advantage of this home ice, and dig in. This Game 3 is going to be huge.”
The Vegas Golden Knights celebrate a goal during the third period against the Colorado Avalanche in game two of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena.
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