Golden Knights Advance to Western Conference Finals for Showdown With Avalanche

The Vegas Golden Knights got the win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, which means they are advancing to the Western Conference Final to take on the Colorado Avalanche.

That means the Western Conference Final is now set, and it should be a brawl.

The Avalanche have looked like the best team in hockey for most of the season, and they have carried that into the playoffs as well. Colorado has made a real statement this postseason and now heads into this series looking like the team to beat in the West.

That is what makes this such a tough test for Vegas. The Golden Knights had a bit more of an uneven year by their standards, but this is still one of the most consistent organizations in hockey, and now they are back in a spot that has become very familiar for them. Vegas and Colorado have been among the premier teams in the Western Conference for years now, and this series feels like another chapter in that.

There is also going to be no shortage of star power on both sides. Colorado has the bigger edge on paper and should be viewed as the favorite, but Vegas has enough experience, structure, and talent to make this thing very competitive. That is especially true this time of year, when playoff series can swing quickly and teams with this much high-end talent tend to push each other to the limit.

So while the Avalanche may enter as the team to beat, do not be surprised if the Golden Knights make this a real fight. The Western Conference Final is now in place, and it has all the makings of one of the best series of the postseason.