Down 2-0 in the series and facing elimination in Vegas, the Avalanche came out desperate and built a three-goal lead, but they could not hold it, fading late in a crushing 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights.
Colorado set the tone early and played with urgency from the opening faceoff. With Cale Makar back in the lineup, the Avalanche looked faster and sharper than Vegas for much of the first period. Their pressure paid off at 2:34 when Devon Toews outraced Noah Hanifin to a loose puck at centre ice and skated in on a partial breakaway. Hanifin hauled him down just before the net, but the puck stayed loose, and Gabriel Landeskog lifted it over Carter Hart to give Colorado a 1-0 lead.
The Avalanche kept rolling and doubled the advantage at 7:03 with a beautiful passing play. Josh Manson fired a stretch pass from deep in his own zone to Martin Nečas, who carried the puck into the Vegas end. Nečas then fed Nazem Kadri with a backhand pass, and Kadri ripped it past Hart to make it 2-0.
After a disallowed Vegas goal, Colorado added another at 13:15. Jack Drury broke in alone on a shorthanded rush and beat Hart with a slick backhand to make it 3-0.
Vegas, however, would not go quietly. Just 19 seconds into the second period, captain Mark Stone redirected a Mitch Marner pass on the power play to get the Golden Knights on the board. Then at 4:05, William Karlsson jumped on a rebound from another Marner shot and snapped it past Scott Wedgewood to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Golden Knights kept coming and tied the game with their fourth line on the ice. Dylan Coghlan sent a shot from the blue line toward the net, and Keegan Kolesar, stationed in front, tipped the puck down before jamming it past Wedgewood to make it 3-3.
The teams came into the third period deadlocked, each searching for the go-ahead goal. At 8:21, Vegas struck and knocked much of the wind out of the Avalanche’s fleeting playoff hopes. Stone slipped a touch pass at the blue line to send Tomas Hertl into the zone, and Hertl glided into open ice before sliding a backhand past Wedgewood to give the Golden Knights a 4-3 lead.
Colorado pushed hard as the clock ticked down, but they could not find the equalizer. Brett Howden sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute to finish off the Golden Knights’ 5-3 comeback victory.
The Golden Knights will look to close out the series Tuesday night in front of their home crowd.
