Golden Knights head into playoffs after topping Canucks

Pavel Dorofeyev scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and Victor Olofsson had a goal and an assist to lead the visiting Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in the regular-season finale for both teams on Wednesday.

Jack Eichel and Cole Schwindt also scored goals and Ben Hutton and Shea Theodore each added two assists for Pacific Division champion Vegas (50-22-10, 110 points).

The Golden Knights, the second seed in the Western Conference behind the Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets (116 points), will face the No. 1 wild card, the Minnesota Wild (45-30-7, 97 points), in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs starting this weekend.

Akira Schmid made 16 saves for the Golden Knights, who completed a four-game season sweep of the Canucks. Vegas, which improved to 18-4-3 all-time against the Canucks, including 10-1-2 in Vancouver, ended the campaign on a 5-0-2 roll.

Pius Suter scored for Vancouver (38-30-14, 90 points). The Canucks, who won the Pacific Division in 2024, finished in fifth place and missed the playoffs.

Kevin Lankinen finished with 19 saves for the Canucks before giving way to rookie Nikita Tolopilo at the start of the third period. Tolopilo stopped six of the eight shots he faced.

Vancouver took a 1-0 lead 8:23 into the first period when Suter backhanded in a rebound of a Conor Garland shot in front of the crease. It was his 25th goal, increasing his career-best total.

Vegas tied it late in the second period on Olofsson's one-timer from the center of the left circle into the top far corner off a setup by William Karlsson.

The Golden Knights took control midway through the third period with two goals in the span of 2:46. Dorofeyev got the first when he snapped in a wrist shot from middle of the left circle past Tolopilo's glove side for his team-leading 35th goal. Eichel, returning to lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury, made it 3-1 when he deflected Hutton's point shot down and over Tolopilo's left pad.

Schwindt sealed the win with his first NHL goal, an empty-netter with 1:32 remaining.

--Field Level Media