The Vegas Golden Knights are back in familiar territory—controlling their own fate with a chance to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Final. On Thursday, they'll look to close out the Anaheim Ducks in Game Six and advance to their fifth Conference Final in just nine seasons.

Wednesday brought a major development in their Stanley Cup journey: the Colorado Avalanche eliminated the Minnesota Wild to secure their spot in the next round. If Vegas can finish the job against Anaheim, they'll set up a highly anticipated rematch with the President's Trophy winners. It would mark the first playoff meeting between these two powerhouses since the Golden Knights took down the Avalanche in six games back in 2021. All that stands between them and that showdown is one more road win in Southern California.

But the path won't be easy. The Golden Knights received tough news Wednesday when defenseman Brayden McNabb was suspended for Game Six after the NHL Department of Player Safety ruled he interfered with Ducks forward Ryan Poehling. That's a significant blow for a team already missing key players Mark Stone and Jeremy Lauzon for most—if not all—of this series.

Head coach John Tortorella will need to lean heavily on his depth defenders to step up. In Game Five, players like Ben Hutton and Dylan Coghlan answered the call with solid performances. If Vegas wants to finish the job tonight, they'll need that same level of effort from everyone on the back end.

One bright spot? The narrative surrounding Tomas Hertl's late-season scoring slump is quickly fading. After a brutal stretch that saw him go 30 games without a goal, the Czech forward has found his rhythm with goals in back-to-back contests. Even with the most high-powered offense in the postseason—39 goals so far—the Golden Knights can never have too many scoring threats. If Hertl's hot streak continues through this game and beyond, Vegas will be in excellent shape moving forward.