Duel in the Desert

Colorado Avalanche (8-3, C1) @ Vegas Golden Knights (10-4, P1) 

6 p.m. MT | T-Mobile Arena | Watch: ESPN, ESPN App | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM), Altitude Sports Radio App 

The Western Conference Final shifts to Las Vegas as the Avalanche and Golden Knights face off in Game Three on Sunday. 

Game One: VGK 4, COL 2 

Game Two: VGK 3, COL 1

Loss in Denver 

The Avalanche lost 3-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Two of the Western Conference Final at Ball Arena on Friday. Ross Colton scored for Colorado while Brent Burns and Nazem Kadri both posted a helper. Colorado opened the scoring at 16:59 of the first period when Colton scored his second goal of the playoffs via a turnaround shot from the slot after picking up a loose puck after Burns’ right-point attempt was blocked. Jack Eichel tied the game for Vegas at 9:15 of the third period via a right-circle shot off the rush. The Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead at 11:22 of the third period when Ivan Barbashev scored via a shot from the high slot. At 18:57 of the third period, Barbashev made it 3-1 with an empty-net goal.

Leading the Way 

Nate the Great 

Nathan MacKinnon is tied for third in the NHL in goals (7) and ranks tied for seventh in points (14).

Marty Party 

Martin Necas is tied for seventh in the NHL in assists (10). 

Toewser Laser 

Among NHL defensemen, Devon Toews is sixth in assists (7) while ranking tied for sixth in points (9) and tied for eighth in goals (2). 

Series History 

The Avalanche and Golden Knights have met in one previous playoff series, with Vegas defeating Colorado in six games in Round Two in 2021. Additionally, the teams played a seeding round-robin contest in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.    

Making Plays Against Vegas 

MacKinnon has posted eight points (3g/5a) in nine playoff games against the Golden Knights, in addition to 30 points (8g/22a) in 31 regular-season contests. 

Burns has recorded 10 points (3g/7a) in 15 playoff games against Vegas, along with 16 points (5g/11a) in 32 regular-season games. 

Gabriel Landeskog has registered six points (3g/3a) in nine playoff games against the Golden Knights, in addition to six points (3g/3a) in 19 regular-season contests. 

Finding the Net in Nevada 

Mitch Marner leads the Golden Knights in points (19) while ranking second in assists (12) and third in goals (7). 

Pavel Dorofeyev leads Vegas in goals (10) while ranking third in points (14). 

Eichel leads the Golden Knights in assists (16) while ranking second in points (18). 

A Numbers Game 

3.75 

Colorado’s 3.75 goals per game on the road are the fourth most among NHL playoff teams. 

56.6% 

The Avalanche has won 56.6% of its face-offs on the road in the postseason, which is the second-highest rate among playoff teams. 

.656 

Colorado’s .656 win percentage in road playoff games since 2020-21 is the best in the NHL among teams with at least 10 postseason contests away from home. 

Quote That Left a Mark 

“You need to just wake up with a good attitude and focus on having a good day today. Get some good recovery in, and once you get to Vegas, have a good sleep and focus on the game tomorrow. So, you can’t look too far ahead. We feel this is far from over, so we just [have] to keep playing our game and focus on Game Three.” 

-- Parker Kelly on taking things one game at a time