Golden Knights beat Ducks 5-1, advance to Western Conference finals

The Golden Knights did not need long to show why they belong among the NHL’s most dangerous playoff teams. Mitch Marner scored 62 seconds after the opening faceoff, Vegas piled up three first-period goals and the Golden Knights finished off the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 in Game 6 at Honda Center on Thursday night to win the second-round series.

Marner and Shea Theodore each finished with a goal and an assist, and Marner’s production continued to define the series-clinching win. He entered the night leading the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 18 points, including seven goals and 11 assists, and he was involved in all three Vegas goals in the opening period. Theodore gave Vegas an early cushion with a power-play goal, Brett Howden added his third short-handed goal of the playoffs to tie an NHL record for one postseason, and the Golden Knights never allowed Anaheim to reset.

Pavel Dorofeyev sealed it with two third-period goals, turning a tight elimination game into a decisive finish. Carter Hart made 31 saves for Vegas, while Lukas Dostal stopped 16 shots for Anaheim. Mikael Granlund scored the Ducks’ only goal on a second-period power play, but it was not enough to change the direction of a night that belonged to the No. 1 seed from the Pacific Division. The Ducks, the No. 3 seed, were back in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, but they could not match Vegas’ pace, finishing ability or composure once the Golden Knights seized control.

The result sent Vegas to the Western Conference finals for the fifth time in nine seasons and to the third round for the fourth time in the past seven seasons, a record that speaks to how quickly the franchise has become a standard-bearer rather than an upstart. That consistency has come from more than top-line talent. It showed in the first-shift pressure, in the short-handed strike from Howden and in the way Vegas managed the game after building a 3-0 lead through 20 minutes.

The challenge now gets steeper. The Golden Knights will face the Colorado Avalanche, the Presidents’ Trophy winners, in the Western Conference Final. Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver at 8 p.m. ET, and Vegas will need the same blend of star production, depth scoring and disciplined game management to keep this run alive.