The Vegas Golden Knights had all the tools they needed to steal Game 1 of the Western Conference final long before they set foot in Ball Arena.

The Knights’ 4-2 heist of Wednesday’s game in hostile territory came as no surprise to a team that’s dealt with adversity all season and in some cases, for years before this one. 

Just look at their stories. 

Right wing Mitch Marner spent nearly a decade in Toronto after being drafted by the Maple Leafs in 2015. After years of questions about his ability to perform in crunch time, Marner is leading the NHL in points this postseason. He entered the conference finals with 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists. He padded his lead Wednesday with another helper. 

At the 15:02 mark of the second period, Marner took the offensive zone, made an Avalanche defender miss and made a backward pass across his body while falling to a trailing Pavel Dorofeyev for the power-play goal to put Vegas up 2-0 on Colorado.

“All the guys I’ve been playing with around me have been making life really easy,” Marner said. “I think they’ve done a great job of finding holes, finding plays for me to make, putting themselves in good areas to let me do my thing, but just trying to go out there and have confidence and swagger.”

About 2 1/2 minutes before Marner made that pass, Vegas defenseman Dylan Coghlan scored the game’s first goal and his first in an NHL uniform since December 2021. Coghlan beat Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood from the top of the slot at 12:29 of the period.

“When you say Dylan Coghlan to me, I think of no fear,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I’m happy for him because he’s plugged along, plugged along, with his background. It’s a huge goal for us because the game was going both ways. They have momentum. He’s an easy guy to pull for.”

Knights goaltender Carter Hart finished with 36 saves in his 13th appearance this postseason. He leads all NHL playoff goaltenders in wins with nine, just over four months removed from a leg injury that sidelined him for nearly three months. 

“Carter Hart’s a hell of a goalie. He was great in Philly for me,” Tortorella said. “I think he’s grown so strong mentally. I don’t think much bothers him. He is just zeroed in.”   

Vegas takes that same strong mentality on the road. The Knights closed their first- and second-round series away from T-Mobile Arena and have won four of their last five road games.

“As I’ve said in the prior series, I think it’s sometimes easier for the away team in these types of situations to play,” Tortorella said. “I think you can use it to your advantage. Great building tonight.”