Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner advanced to the NHL Western Conference Final after leading his team to a 5-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the second round.
Marner scored just over a minute into the deciding game to secure a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, as reported by Fox News.
The former Toronto Maple Leafs winger leads all postseason scorers with 18 points, consisting of seven goals and 11 assists across 12 games, according to data from Yahoo Sports and The Leafs Nation.
His scoring total puts him three points ahead of Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov.
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The performance follows Marner’s offseason departure from Toronto via a sign-and-trade agreement last summer.
While Marner thrives in Nevada, the Maple Leafs missed the 2025-26 postseason but secured the first-overall pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft after a draft lottery win.
Toronto is widely expected to select Penn State star winger Gavin McKenna to bolster a roster that struggled following Marner’s departure.
Former NHL winger T. J. Oshie analyzed the upcoming series between Vegas and Colorado during an appearance on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.
“I think they’re trending exactly how they should be,” said T. J. Oshie, former NHL winger.
Oshie noted that the Golden Knights rely on a layered defensive structure and physical puck battles rather than pure baseline speed to counter transition-heavy opponents.
“I think they needed Mitch Marner to play like this in order to really get the job done,” Oshie said.
The Avalanche enter the third round holding an 8-1 postseason record, though defenseman Cale Makar is ruled out for Game 1.
“They’re not quite as fast as some of the other teams,” Oshie said.
Vegas captain Mark Stone’s health remains a key factor for the Golden Knights’ defensive structure heading into the matchup.
“I think they can play fast, which is different than straight speed, but I think they’re gonna need Mitch Marner,” Oshie said.
Marner’s regular-season replacement corps of Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Matias Maccelli did not prevent Toronto from tumbling out of the playoff picture.
“They’re gonna need him to be a superstar against Colorado,” Oshie said.
Meanwhile, online discussions among Toronto fans have questioned how coach Craig Berube utilized Roy before trading him to Colorado, noting he received the fewest offensive-zone starts of his career while in Toronto.
“They’re gonna need to be healthy,” Oshie said.
Former Maple Leafs enforcer Jay Rosehill publicly defended the fan criticism Marner faced in Toronto, arguing that past regular-season success did not erase previous struggles in elimination games.
“I don’t know where Stone’s at, how he’s feeling overall,” Oshie said.
The debate surrounding Marner remains tense, particularly after the player previously revealed that his family received death threats during his final years with the Maple Leafs.
“You have to be healthy against Colorado,” Oshie said.
Current Maple Leafs rookie Easton Cowan expressed confidence that draft prospect McKenna possesses the necessary personality to handle the intense media spotlight in Toronto.
“I think Minnesota’s had a phenomenal roster,” Oshie said.
The Avalanche remain the statistical favorites to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
“They had Ek out and Brodin out, and you can’t do it,” Oshie said.
The Golden Knights will open their third-round series against the Avalanche with Marner centering their offensive game plan.
“My gut tells me that Colorado is the heavy favorite the rest of the playoffs, remaining four, but if Mitch Marner plays how we saw him there in that last series, Colorado showed that they can get scored on,” Oshie said.
Minnesota managed to find offensive success against Colorado before being eliminated from the postseason tournament.
“Minnesota was scoring goals on them at certain times, but they’re gonna need Stone healthy,” Oshie said.
The series will test whether Vegas’ counterattacking style can neutralize Colorado’s four-line depth.
“And he’s gonna need some big goals, some of those big turnovers that he creates into odd-man rushes, those power play goals around the net,” Oshie said.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Final is scheduled to begin under the management of Vegas head coach John Tortorella.
“So, I think a lot is going to rely on that,” Oshie said.