The Vegas Golden Knights delivered an outstanding road effort in a 4-2 win against the Colorado Avalanhce in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final Wednesday night at Ball Arena.
The Golden Knights never trailed. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the third, and though Colorado had a strong push late in regulation, the Golden Knights were able to hold on for the win.
The Golden Knights now lead the best-of-seven series 1-0.
Both teams were without star players, with captain Mark Stone out again for Vegas and defenseman Cale Makar missing his first game of the postseason. Jeremy Lauzon also remains sidelined.
The Golden Knights got off to a great start in a scoreless opening 20 minutes.
The Avalanche forecheck went to work in the first five minutes, but Vegas recovered and found opportunities early, including on a Keegan Kolesar breakaway and a great look in front for Tomas Hertl. However, Scott Wedgewood took care of both to keep it scoreless.
Colorado’s Logan O’Connor hit the post with around five minutes left in the period and got another great look in front before being thwarted by Carter Hart.
But Hart’s best save of the period came in the waning seconds on an Avalanche power play. Nazem Kadri had a glorious chance, but Hart made a massive stop to keep the home team off the board.
Wedgewood stepped up a big stop early in the second on Brett Howden, as both goalies made their presence felt.
But Wedgewood didn’t have the answer when Dylan Coghlan found himself open in the slot, beating Wedgewood five-hole for his first career postseason goal and the first goal of the series.
It was a solid play by the third line, which had a much better showing in Game 1 than it did late in the Anaheim series. It also was Coghlan’s first NHL goal since December 2021, and it gave the Golden Knights the lead on the road.
Vegas doubled that lead less than three minutes later on a power-play goal by Pavel Dorofeyev.
Dorofeyev’s NHL-leading 10th goal of the playoffs seemed to catch Wedgewood off guard, though the Colorado netminder’s view was partially obstructed by a moving screen. Either way, a truly fantastic play by Mitch Marner set up Dorofeyev, who made it 2-0 just over 15 minutes into the middle frame.
Hart continued to look locked-in, making another pair of key saves to preserve Vegas’ lead. The Avalanche got another power play at the end of the period, giving the home team carry-over time on the man-advantage to start the third.
It had been a perfect 40 minutes for the Golden Knights, setting up a critical third period for Vegas against the best third-period team in the postseason.
The Vegas penalty kill kicked off the final frame with another solid effort to shut down the Avalanche power play.
Just seconds after the completion of the successful kill, Howden and Ben Hutton had a 2-on-1, and Hutton’s initial shot rebounded high. Howden got to the rebound and knocked the puck out of the air with his glove. Showing some dexterity, he then got his stick on the puck before it crossed the goal line to give Vegas a three-goal advantage.
It was Howden’s ninth of the playoffs, as he and Dorofeyev remain first and second in playoff goals.
But the Avalanche responded. Colorado ended Hart’s shutout streak when Valeri Nichushkin scored on a between-the-legs redirect, cutting the deficit to two nearly six minutes into the third. The Avs were able to take advantage of a Vegas mishap on defense that left Nichushkin alone in front.
With 3:08 remaining in the third, Shea Theodore took a penalty for high-sticking, sending Colorado back to the power play. Colorado pulled Wedgewood to make it a 6-on-4 power play. The Avs cashed in thanks to a filthy play by Nathan MacKinnon, who danced around Brayden McNabb near the boards before finding captain Gabriel Landeskog for the backdoor tally.
The Avalanche had 2:21 with which to work to find the equalizer, but it was Nic Dowd who instead beat an icing call and then found the empty net to seal the win for Vegas.
Though the Avalanche had the late push, this was an outstanding effort by the Golden Knights, who delivered an impressive road performance to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Golden Knights never trailed and never showed any signs of intimidation, nerves or doubt. The Golden Knights went into Ball Arena and took back home-ice advantage.
Hart was phenomenal, turning aside 36 of 38 for a .947 save percentage. He made countless timely saves, especially early, including all 15 shots in the second period. He finished the game with 2.07 goals saved above expected, according to Money Puck (Wedgewood had -0.49).
But the Golden Knights demonstrated great patience, striking when the moments presented themselves without sacrificing their defensive structure, which was excellent for most of the night.
The Avalanche had trouble breaking through the neutral zone consistently, and the Golden Knights were able to help Hart protect the net, both of which helped the Golden Knights take care of business in the first game of the Western Conference Final.
Vegas relied heavily on its depth.
Marner and Jack Eichel made strong plays (and both picked up points to extend their league lead in scoring). However, Coghlan and the third line stepped up with the opening goal. Theodore led all Golden Knights skaters with five shots. Dowd chipped in the empty-netter on a great individual effort. Eleven different players found the scoresheet as the Golden Knights handed the Avalanche just their second loss of the postseason.
The Golden Knights’ second line continues to thrive, and the Vegas power play scored for the fifth consecutive game. The penalty kill finished 2-for-3, yielding only the 6-on-4 goal on a truly ridiculous move by MacKinnon.
The Golden Knights were able to contain Colorado’s top players for most of the night.
Of course, Makar being out affects the Avalanche’s overall dynamic offensive threat, but the Golden Knights were committed — as a team — to maintaining a sound defensive structure, which helped prevent Colorado from wreaking havoc around the net.
Vegas got contributions from throughout the lineup in a hard-fought and well-disciplined series-opening win by the Golden Knights, who will look to take a 2-0 lead Friday night in Game 2.
Photo courtesy of the Golden Knights