Golden Knights to face Ducks in second round after beating Mammoth

The Vegas Golden Knights have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs after beating the Utah Mammoth in six games.

Vegas will kick off the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks next week, with the full schedule to be released on Sunday night following the final two first-round contests.

The Golden Knights closed out the series with a dominant 5-1 victory on Friday evening. Mitch Marner led the way with two goals and three points, while Brett Howden, Cole Smith and Colton Sissons all tallied goals. Carter Hart made 21 saves on 22 shots, outdueling Utah’s Karel Vejmelka, who had 21 save son 25 shots.

Kailer Yamamoto had the lone goal for Utah on Friday.

Vegas won the first game 4-2, with Utah bouncing back for a 3-2 win in Game 2. The Golden Knights then won three straight, with most of the other games being close. Game 5, in particular, saw Vegas win the game in double overtime.

Jack Eichel led the way with one goal and nine points in six games, good to place him in the top 10 in playoff scoring – one point behind Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, who was eliminated by Anaheim.

Vegas has made the playoffs in all but one season since kicking off its NHL tenure in 2017-18. The Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup final but ultimately fell in five games to the Washington Capitals. Vegas missed the playoffs in 2021-22, but beat the Florida Panthers in five games to win the 2023 Stanley Cup.

The Mammoth took part in their first playoff run in team history after kicking off their NHL tenure in 2024-25. Utah actually had more regular wins (42) than Vegas this year, and would have challenged for first in the Pacific had they been in that division.