LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights are headed back to the Stanley Cup Final after shutting down the Colorado Avalanche in dominant fashion, completing a four-game sweep with a 2-1 victory Tuesday night in the Western Conference finals. Despite entering the series as the NHL’s top overall seed after a 121-point regular season, Colorado struggled to generate offense against Vegas’ disciplined defensive structure. The Avalanche averaged just 1.75 goals per game in the series a

The Colorado Avalanche received a major boost ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, as star center Nathan MacKinnon is expected to suit up Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights despite dealing with a knee injury suffered in Game 3. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Tuesday afternoon that MacKinnon will play as Colorado looks to avoid a series sweep on home ice. MacKinnon was injured during the second period of Sunday’s 4-3 loss after blocking a

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche looked finished midway through Game 5 after falling behind by three goals against the Minnesota Wild. Instead, they delivered one of the franchise’s most dramatic playoff comebacks in recent memory. Defenseman Brett Kulak scored 3:52 into overtime Wednesday night, lifting Colorado to a 4-3 victory at Ball Arena and sending the Avalanche to the Western Conference final for the eighth time since the franchise moved to Denver. Kulak buried a feed

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Colorado Avalanche answered their Game 3 setback with a composed and relentless effort Monday night, defeating the Minnesota Wild 5-2 in Game 4 to seize a commanding 3-1 series lead in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Colorado broke open a tied game in the third period behind timely goals from Ross Colton and Parker Kelly, each netting their first goals of the postseason as the Avalanche regained control of the series. “It’s about staying pr