The Vegas Golden Knights pulled off their fourth third-period comeback of the postseason with a 3-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final Friday night at Ball Arena.
The Golden Knights scored two goals in the span of 2:07 midway through the third period to erase Colorado’s lead and take their own. Vegas added an empty-net goal to seal the win with 63 seconds remaining.
The Golden Knights managed to win both games at Ball Arena to take control of home-ice advantage and grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. They did so without the services of Mark Stone, who missed his fifth straight game. Colorado also was without defenseman Cale Makar for the second game in a row.
The Golden Knights got off to a strong start in a fast-paced opening frame. They were in sync, and they didn’t lose control during Colorado’s early push. They gave up only one great chance early, which Noah Hanifin took care of with a fantastic block.
Vegas had multiple good looks, particularly on a Mitch Marner breakaway, but he was stopped twice by Scott Wedgewood to keep the game scoreless.
In the end, it was the Avalanche who opened the scoring, as Ross Colton settled a bouncing puck and beat Carter Hart from the low slot with 3:01 remaining in the first.
But Hart made several massive saves at the end of the period to keep the deficit at one.
The Avalanche were the better team in the second period, and it wasn’t close.
Vegas was without defenseman Brayden McNabb, who didn’t take a shift after leaving the bench late in the first. Dylan Coghlan said after the game that McNabb got a lot of stitches, so McNabb likely was skate by Sam Malinski’s skate. However, no specific details about the exact nature of his injury were provided.
Less than two minutes into the second period, the Golden Knights got a four-minute power play when Martin Necas was called for slashing and tripping, but a Jack Eichel minor erased two of those minutes. The Avalanche poured on the pressure during the 4-on-4, but Colorado couldn’t hit the net.
The Golden Knights took a penalty in the final two minutes of the period when Shea Theodore was called for slashing. The late penalties are becoming a concerning trend, but Vegas was able to kill off the first 1:18 to end the second period.
When all was said and done, Colorado outshot the Golden Knights 9-4 and led 25-11 in shot attempts, 11-5 in scoring chances and 5-0 in high-danger chances while owning a 92.57 expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick. Colorado helped Vegas out by missing the net quite a bit, but it was still a one-sided frame.
That being said, the five-man group on Vegas’ blue line stepped up.
“I think everyone just chipped in, contributed,” Hanifin said about the defense’s effort without McNabb. “In the second period, long change can be tough, but I thought everyone did a good job. That happens. That’s part of playoff hockey; guys go down for a little bit. You just gotta dig in and find a way. I think [Colorado] had a good push in the second period, and I thought we did a solid job just handling it and coming out in the third.”
Hart had a similar takeaway.
“Obviously with [McNabb] there, he comes back, he’s a warrior,” Hart said. “He’s a huge part of our team and our leadership group and on the back end. But when he was a little banged up there, the guys stepped up and played a little extra minutes and played hard and filled in those boots. This time of year, that’s playoff hockey. You gotta get everyone contributing, and tonight I thought all four lines, three pairs of D, everyone was contributing on the ice.”
But all in all, the Golden Knights were fortunate to be trailing by just one after 40 minutes, though that very fact gave Vegas hope in the third.
“I thought the key part of the game was a real struggle in the second period for us, but we still entered the locker room just down 1-0,” John Tortorella said. “We felt we were in a good spot going into the third.”
Even so, the Avalanche were 41-0-0 when leading after two periods in the regular season, and they were 4-0 when doing so in the playoffs.
Tell that to the Golden Knights.
Vegas didn’t do themselves any favors when Theodore got called for hooking at 1:58 of the third, setting up another Avalanche power play. However, the reliable Vegas penalty kill came through once more, leaving the Colorado man-advantage looking completely lost and out of sorts.
The Golden Knights got another power play but were unable to make anything of it, partly due to a tremendous block by Jack Drury. But Eichel’s hesitance to shoot on the power play hurt the Golden Knights at a critical time.
That being said, Eichel made up for it a few minutes later when he ripped a shot past Wedgewood to knot things up at 1-1. Eichel skated in, delayed, waited for traffic, chose his moment, picked his spot and then delivered an absolute laser past Wedgewood to reset the score at 9:15.
When asked about the play, Hanifin described it as “phenomenal. [Eichel’s] such a good 200-foot player, but man, some of the offensive things he can do with the puck. How smart he is, how patient he is. He steps up at big moments, and that’s what you need out of your best players. Incredible by him tonight.”
Hart had a more straightforward response, but the sentiment was the same.
“Hell of a player, hell of a shot, and that was a huge goal,” he said.
Just 2:07 later, the Golden Knights (namely Pavel Dorofeyev) won a few battles on the walls, preventing Colorado from clearing the zone. The puck kicked out to Eichel, who found Ivan Barbashev. Barbashev beat Wedgewood from distance to give Vegas its first lead of the night.
It looked as though Colorado was going to get a late power play when McNabb — who returned for the third period — caught Necas up high. The referees gathered to discuss it but didn’t make a call.
With just under three minutes to go, the Avalanche pulled Wedgewood to set up a 6-on-5. Hart made a huge save, and Barbashev followed it up with his second goal of the game, hitting the empty net to give Vegas a 3-1 lead. Colorado pulled Wedgewood again, but Vegas was able to close out the win.
Once again, the Golden Knights delivered on the road.
They maintained their defensive structure, blocked shots, remained patient, capitalized on their opportunities and had a stellar third period. They found a way to pull off another come-from-behind victory in a significant game against a determined and talented team, and they did so and won as a team.
“Obviously we were able to come from behind, down a goal,” Eichel said. “I thought we played a patient game. We had some chances early, and their goalie made some big saves. Just want to try and defend hard and, when you get an opportunity, capitalize, and I thought we did a good job of that.”
Hanifin said the Golden Knights have been comfortable in the third period all year, calling the comeback “huge.”
“Obviously, we knew they were gonna push tonight after the last game, and I thought we handled it well and stayed composed and had a great third period,” Hanifin said. “It’s definitely something to build off of, and we gotta take advantage of home-ice now.”
Hart was excellent once again, holding the Avalanche to one goal and turning aside 29 of 30 shots for a .967 save percentage.
“I feel good,” Hart said. “Just trying to take things one period at a time, one shift at a time and one puck at a time, and just enjoy it.”
He has now recorded a save percentage above .926 while giving up two or fewer goals in eight of his last nine games. Tonight was his 10th win of the postseason, which is a new career high. Hart finished Game 2 with 1.16 goals saved above expected, according to Money Puck. He got plenty of help from his teammates but stood tall when needed.
“We’ve got some pretty great goaltending; let’s state that right away,” Tortorella said. “Carter’s been very good in the first two games here. We faced a lot of pressure tonight, a lot of time in our endzone.”
Vegas also got a huge game from the top line, which had been quiet of late. This was just Eichel’s second goal of the playoffs, but he was outstanding, and his individual effort in the third period changed the game in an instant.
“I think he is the best 200-foot player in the game,” Tortorella said about Vegas’ star center. “There are some good ones, but he’s right there.”
Tortorella said Eichel did a lot of things well defensively, some of which might have gone unnoticed but were nevertheless important for Vegas. He knows Eichel wants to make more plays offensively, though, so he’s hopeful this will give Eichel and his linemates more confidence.
“I think the three of us want to take pride in playing a complete game,” Eichel said about the top line. “Doing things the right way defensively when we don’t have the puck. It was good to be able to contribute offensively tonight. I thought we had a few chances in the first game, weren’t able to capitalize, but it’s one of those things where you just keep trying to make plays when you have the opportunity, and it was good to see a few go in.”
Though the Golden Knights trailed for most of the game, they never let this get out of hand. They stopped the bleeding, limiting the high-flying Colorado offense to one goal (and three through two games).
The Avalanche failed to take advantage of the momentum in the second period, and the Golden Knights did everything they had to do to make life as difficult as possible for the deep Avalanche offense. Though it was partly a lack of execution on Colorado’s part, Vegas’ commitment to defense inevitably played a hand as well, with Hart stopping every puck that reached him.
Along those lines, the penalty kill continues to be a hero for the Golden Knights after finishing the game 2-for-2. The power play was unable to break through on four opportunities, though Stone’s absence is typically glaring on the man-advantage. But the Golden Knights didn’t get frustrated or lose focus.
Instead, they continued to play their game and did not allow the Avalanche to extend their lead. Once the moment for offense arrived, Eichel and Barbashev found twine. Dorofeyev certainly played a role on the game-winner with his strong play along the boards, which was another staple of Vegas’ performance in the second road game of the series.
In addition, the Golden Knights’ defense stepped up in a big way when McNabb was down for the count. The Golden Knights are already without Jeremy Lauzon, and losing McNabb in a 1-0 game against the Avalanche’s stacked offense was a tall task. Even though Colorado controlled the period, Vegas didn’t allow a goal, keeping the deficit to one, which proved to be critical.
“So much credit to our D,” Eichel said. “We lose [McNabb], the five of them really stepped up. I thought that they played hard. They make our jobs really easy as forwards. … So many shot blocks and desperation plays. Credit to our group; it really feels like we’re playing for each other.”
Hart acknowledged the entire team’s defensive efforts, especially with regards to getting in shooting lanes.
“The willingness to block shots, the willingness to sacrifice for the better of the team, is crucial,” Hart said.
It does feel like the Golden Knights are playing for each other, and it has a somewhat similar vibe to the way the team played against Toronto (for Marner) during the regular season. Obviously, this is a much more challenging opponent in a much more meaningful game, but there was a different energy in the third period of Game 2, and it seems like the Golden Knights have all bought in and are fighting as one.
When Barbashev scored two minutes after Eichel, one could almost sense a shift in what this team is capable of. The Golden Knights might truly have something special going on here.
Though the odds may be in Vegas’ favor, make no mistake: the Golden Knights still have an uphill battle ahead.
“It’s big, obviously, getting two on the road, but it’s far from over, and we know that,” Hanifin said. “It’s a long series. They’re a great team over there, and we gotta stay even-keeled. We gotta come home and really take advantage of this home-ice and dig in. Game 3’s gonna be huge.”
But the Golden Knights can’t get complacent on home ice.
“Our guys know what to do,” Tortorella said. “Our room is good no matter what’s going on. We’re gonna face some stuff the next game as far as momentum swings coming against us. We have a good room. That’s what you rest on. At least that’s what I rest on. We trust them, and the biggest thing is they trust themselves.”
This matchup often brings out the best in both teams, especially the Golden Knights. It’s safe to say that has been the case through two games, but the Avalanche were the best team in the league all season, and they won’t be going down without a fight.
When asked how to prevent the team from getting ahead of itself with the 2-0 lead, Tortorella was very blunt.
“We won’t. I guarantee you, we won’t,” Tortorella said. “I don’t have to say anything to them. They understand the situation. I’m not sure where the series goes, I’m not sure where Game 3 goes, but I know I’m not gonna have to worry about that because they get it.”
Game 3 is Sunday night (5 p.m. PT) at T-Mobile Arena.
Photo courtesy of the Golden Knights