The unfathomable and seemingly impossible happened on Tuesday night with the Colorado Avalanche being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. A 2-1 Game Four defeat was the final nail in the coffin for the Presidents’ Trophy winners.

Colorado will have a ton of reflecting and soul-searching to do after a historic collapse. Meanwhile, Vegas reaches its third Stanley Cup Final in just its ninth season.

View From the Mountaintop

When it mattered most, Colorado faltered in an unfathomable fashion. They had faltered all series long, but this one in Game Four was the death blow. They did not get any offensive help from anyone. Usually, it’s only the top guys or just the depth who contribute. There was a stretch where the Avalanche had only two shots in approximately 30 minutes of game time. Vegas suffocated them in a big way and hindered any sort of progress the Avalanche made.

But it wasn’t for a lack of effort, at least for the netminder. Mackenzie Blackwood got the nod over Scott Wedgewood, giving the Avs a different option. He did his best to keep Colorado in it with some key saves along the way. The two goals he gave up, he could not do much about. In the end, he finished with 24 saves.

Gabriel Landeskog scored the lone goal of the game for the Avalanche. It marked his third goal of the series. Colorado only scored seven goals in the entire series. The best season in the franchise’s history will be overshadowed by this unfathomable Western Conference Final.

Up Next

A very long offseason is ahead. Soul-searching and reflection will take place within the organization, which might lead to some changes. But we’ll have to wait and see what takes place.

As for upcoming events, the NHL Draft will take place, hosted by the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center, on June 26 and 27. Those prospects and others will take place in the next on-ice action at the rookie tournament and rookie camp in July and September, respectively.