Home HOCKEY NHL NHL Recap: Vegas Completes 3-0 Comeback, Pushes Avalanche to the Brink

NHL Recap: Vegas Completes 3-0 Comeback, Pushes Avalanche to the Brink

Read
Golden Knights Vs Avalanche
Golden Knights outscore Avalanche

Vegas overcomes a 3-0 first-period deficit and MacKinnon’s brief exit to win Game 3 5-3, putting Colorado on the brink of elimination.


Vegas scores 5 unanswered goals after trailing early, completing a comeback win over Colorado to move one game from a sweep in Game 4...


The Vegas Golden Knights scored five unanswered goals to beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 in Game 3 on Sunday. The win gave Vegas a 3-0 lead in the series.


It marks the first time in franchise history that the Avalanche have trailed 3-0 in a playoff series at home. Colorado had gone 74-1 in the playoffs when holding a lead of seven goals or more.


It had been 170 games since Colorado lost three straight games in regulation.


For Vegas, it was the first time in nine years that the team won a playoff game after trailing by three or more goals. The Golden Knights had been 0-19 in those situations in the playoffs, and 4-139-3 during the regular season.


Vegas is now one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the third time.

 
Game 4 between the Golden Knights and Avalanche is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26.


Game 3 Recap & Highlights

The first goal came only 3 minutes and 21 seconds after puck drop.


Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the postseason, putting the Avalanche up 1-0 before Vegas managed a shot on goal.


Landeskog’s goal came off a rebound from Devon Toews’ shot, with Nathan MacKinnon picking up the secondary assist. Both Toews and MacKinnon reached eight assists for the playoffs on the play.






Three minutes later, Colorado doubled its lead in what felt like seconds.


Nazem Kadri scored his third goal of the postseason and first of the series to make it 2-0 for the Avalanche.


Martin Necas picked up his 11th assist in his 12th playoff game, while Josh Manson recorded his third.


Colorado’s two goals in 7 minutes and 3 seconds were the fastest pair allowed by Carter Hart in the entire postseason.


Six minutes later, Colorado kept pushing and extended its lead in the first period.


Jack Drury scored his third goal of the postseason on Vegas’ first power play of the game to make it 3-0.


The three goals were the most Carter Hart had allowed in a single period all postseason. Colorado also went into the first intermission outshooting Vegas 17-7.


Star defenseman Cale Makar played 8 minutes and 42 seconds in the opening period, the most of any skater. The Avalanche also recorded their highest shot total in a single period during these playoffs.


Vegas appeared to get on the board in the first period, but the goal was waved off after review.


Mitch Marner fired a shot that rebounded off Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood, and Pavel Dorofeyev put the puck in the net for what looked like Vegas’ first goal.






Following the review, the call was overturned, and Vegas headed to the locker room still scoreless.


The Golden Knights came out of the locker room with a power play and immediately looked to spark a rally.


Mark Stone scored his fourth goal of the postseason on Vegas’ second power play of the night to cut the lead to 3-1.


Mitch Marner picked up his 13th assist on the play, while Tomas Hertl recorded his sixth.






The rally continued as Vegas struck again soon after Stone’s goal.


William Karlsson scored his first goal of the postseason and fifth of the year to make it 3-2. After playing the first 14 games and scoring four goals, the 33-year-old missed six months due to injury.

 
Marner picked up his second assist of the night on Karlsson’s goal. It was Karlsson’s 75th playoff point, tying him with Jonathan Marchessault for second most in franchise history.


Both trail only Stone, who reached 77 points with his earlier goal in the game.


Vegas completed the comeback when Keegan Kolesar tied the game 3-3 with his first goal of the postseason and first point overall.


It was Kolesar’s first goal in 37 playoff games, with his last coming against the Dallas Stars in 2023.


Dylan Coghlan recorded his first assist of the postseason, and Kaedan Korczak picked up his second. The Knights took all the momentum into the second intermission.


Colorado suffered a scare when Nathan MacKinnon took a shot from Shea Theodore off the knee with 7:45 left in the second period. He left the ice and returned for a couple of brief shifts but did not come out of the tunnel with the team to start the third...


Avs fans got good news just over two minutes into the third when MacKinnon joined his teammates on the bench.


After MacKinnon left the ice looking noticeably slower, he played only on the power play for the rest of the game. The Knights made sure to take advantage.


Tomas Hertl scored his third goal of the playoffs in the last six games, ending a 29-game scoreless stretch, to give Vegas a 4-3 lead.


Mark Stone recorded his fifth assist and Kaedan Korczak picked up his third on the goal.





Colorado couldn’t score again after that, and Vegas rode the momentum to a third straight win.


Brett Howden put the game away with his 10th goal of the postseason to make it 5-3. William Karlsson and Shea Theodore picked up the assists, his fourth and sixth respectively.


After being outshot 28-15 through the first two periods, Vegas limited Colorado to just five shots in the third.


With the win, Vegas now has a chance to sweep the series in Game 4 on May 26th.




Tags :

No comments:

Leave comment here

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )
Powered by Blogger.