Photo Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
Vegas Golden Knights are headed back to the Western Conference final, and Mitch Marner continues to drive their postseason surge.
Marner scored a highlight-reel goal and added an assist Thursday night as Vegas eliminated the Anaheim Ducks with a 5-1 victory in Game 6.
The 29-year-old winger now leads the Stanley Cup playoffs with 18 points through 12 games while helping Vegas reach the conference final for the fifth time in franchise history.
“It feels great to be going onto the next round with this team,” Marner said. “The work now really just keeps getting harder, and we’re excited for it.”
Marner Continues Dominant Postseason Run
Marner opened the scoring just 1:02 into the first period with one of the postseason’s most memorable goals.
After taking a stretch pass from William Karlsson, Marner maneuvered around Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe before pulling the puck between his legs and beating goalie Lukas Dostal at the crease.
The goal marked Marner’s seventh of the playoffs, already surpassing his combined postseason goal total from his previous three playoff appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marner later assisted on a short-handed goal by Brett Howden, who scored his eighth goal of the postseason.
Shea Theodore and Pavel Dorofeyev also scored for Vegas, with Dorofeyev netting two goals in the clincher.
Coaching Change Sparked Vegas Turnaround
Vegas looked far from a playoff lock late in the regular season before a dramatic coaching change altered the team’s trajectory.
The Golden Knights fired coach Bruce Cassidy on March 29 and hired John Tortorella with eight games remaining.
Under Tortorella, Vegas closed the regular season with a 7-0-1 finish before eliminating the Utah Mammoth and Ducks in consecutive six-game series.
Marner credited Tortorella with restoring confidence inside the locker room.
“I think we were maybe doubting ourselves,” Marner said. “Torts came in and brought our swagger back to where it needed to be.”
Avalanche Await in Western Final
Vegas now advances to face the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final.
Colorado enters the series with an 8-1 postseason record after finishing with the NHL’s best regular-season mark.
The matchup also creates a marquee showdown between Marner and Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon as both players emerge as leading Conn Smythe Trophy candidates.
Meanwhile, Anaheim’s season ends after its first playoff appearance since 2018.
Ducks coach Joel Quenneville praised Vegas after the loss.
“Vegas got better every single game,” Quenneville said. “They deserved to win.”
