LAS VEGAS – Vegas Golden Knights fans had yet another reason to celebrate on Tuesday night, as their team earned its ninth banner in as many seasons of existence.Vegas smothered the Colorado Avalanche in a 2-1 victory in Game 4 to sweep the Presidents’ Trophy winners out of the Western Conference final at T-Mobile Arena. It sealed the Golden Knights’ third Western Conference title since they entered the league in 2017, to go with their five division titles and Stanley Cup championship in 2023.The team with the most playoff wins in the NHL over that span now awaits the winner of the Eastern Conference final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens, which the Hurricanes lead 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Wednesday.Captain Mark Stone opened the scoring for Vegas with a breakaway attempt less than five minutes into the game, set up by a long-range pass by defenseman Brayden McNabb.Mackenzie Blackwood took over for Scott Wedgewood in the Colorado goal and gave the Avalanche a sensational showing. The 29-year-old made several highlight reel saves, none better than two robberies of Vegas’ Pavel Dorofeyev on a power play in the second period. Blackwood exploded to his right to rob Dorofeyev’s backdoor one-timer with his blocker. Moments later he slid to his left in the full splits to glove Dorofeyev’s shot.Vegas fourth-liner Cole Smith added an insurance goal late, deflecting Dylan Coghlan’s shot from the point underneath Blackwood to make it 2-0 with 5:45 left in the game.It was necessary, because Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog ended Carter Hart’s shutout bid with a redirect goal in the final minutes. It was one of Hart’s easier nights of the playoffs to this point, but he was solid in net to stop 20 of 21 shots.Colorado is left to pick up the pieces and answer a lot of hard questions after suffering the NHL’s most shocking sweep since the 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets — coached by current Vegas coach John Tortorella — knocked off the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.MacKinnon gives it a goNathan MacKinnon was one of just four Avalanche players who didn’t take the morning skate on Tuesday, but coach Jared Bednar said MacKinnon was feeling much better than at the end of Game 3, when a Shea Theodore slap shot off the right knee left him hobbled and ineffective. And sure enough, when he came out for warmups, MacKinnon was moving pretty well, even if he was clearly favoring his right leg, taking little baby steps to get going rather than his signature explosive first step.Once the game began, MacKinnon looked better — but certainly not 100 percent. His burst was there at times, but not nearly at the sustained level we’re used to seeing. Still, Bednar didn’t shelter him, keeping him in his usual role on the top line between Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen. That proved to be Colorado’s most dangerous line, but whether it was a lack of his usual jump or just the general disjointedness that has plagued Colorado all series, MacKinnon still didn’t generate much offense. He had a chance to hit Cale Makar in stride for a breakaway early in the first period, but led Makar too much, failing to connect. Moments later, Stone opened the scoring.