What happened

The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Anaheim Ducks in six games to advance to the Western Conference Final. After an early split, the series swung Vegas's way, with the Golden Knights closing it out on the road to wrap the round.

Anaheim's postseason ends in the second stage of the bracket, denied a path deeper into the West. Vegas now waits to learn its conference final opponent.

Why it matters

Reaching the conference final with its veteran core intact reinforces Vegas's standing as a perennial contender in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights have once again navigated a multi-round bracket without losing their structural identity, a recurring theme of this era of the franchise.

For Anaheim, the exit closes a postseason push that featured real competitive moments, including a Game 3 hat trick from Mitch Marner against them and a back-and-forth middle of the series. The Ducks pushed Vegas to a tied series before the Golden Knights pulled away.

The result also reshapes the West's championship odds heading into the next round. Books and bettors will reset numbers around a Vegas team that has now logged extended playoff mileage without exiting early.

By the numbers

Vegas took Game 1 at home, setting the tone before the series settled into a back-and-forth pattern. Marner recorded his first career playoff hat trick in Game 3, a standout individual performance inside the series.

The series was tied 2-2 entering Game 5, with neither team able to seize a stranglehold through the middle stretch. Vegas then won the next two to clinch in six.

What to watch next

The immediate question is the Golden Knights' Western Conference Final opponent and the series schedule that follows. Both will be set once the other West semifinal resolves.

Vegas's rest advantage and lineup health entering the next round will shape opening lines and matchup analysis. A clean six-game series win, rather than a seven-game grind, gives the Golden Knights additional recovery runway before puck drop.

For Anaheim, attention turns to an offseason after a playoff run that reached the second round but ended short of the conference final.