‘Shadow Stars’ Dorofeyev, Nelson set to meet in Western Conference Final
Every staff wants them, and luckily for the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche, they boast “Shadow Stars” with gleaming skills — Pavel Dorofeyev for Vegas, and Brock Nelson for Colorado.
The Western Conference Final is set to start at Ball Arena in Denver, a best-of-7 collection to decide which staff will transfer on to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
“Nelson is the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of the Avalanche,” TNT and MSG Networks play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert instructed me by way of electronic mail this week. “He takes important face-offs, kills penalties and, by the way, has scored 33 goals this season.”
Dorofeyev has additionally emerged as a multiforce, having led the Golden Knights in targets — 35 in 2024-25 and 37 this season to earn the nickname “Score-O-Feyev.”
New York Rangers radio analyst Dave Starman, a former NHL scout and hockey coach, calls Nelson and Dorofeyev “difference-makers” in alternative ways.
“They epitomize the phrase, ‘The best ability is reliability,'” Starman instructed me in an electronic mail. “In Nelson’s case, he is a complete player who wins draws and defends with detail. On offense, Brock is a creative puck-mover who can score.”
Or, as Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog put it, “Even if Brock is not on the score sheet, he’s contributing with so many important plays all over the ice.”
When Vegas defeated the Anaheim Ducks in the second spherical, it was Dorofeyev who delivered in Game 5, which was tied heading to additional time. With 4 minutes gone in the sudden-death interval, Dorofeyev pursued Ducks defenseman John Carlson with one factor in thoughts.
“I was doing my job,” Dorofeyev stated. “And one in all my jobs was to ‘decide his pocket.”
He glided to the slot, the place his wrist shot sailed previous Lukas Dostal at 4:10 of additional time to give the Golden Knights a 3-2 victory and proved to be the turning level of the collection.
As for Nelson, his perseverance and sheer willpower helped make him a finalist this season for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the ahead who greatest excels on the defensive elements of the sport.
“Nelson’s type is harking back to (Hall of Famer) Bryan Trottier“Starman stated. “Brock is hard to play against. What’s more, he plays good minutes and on special teams with dependability.”