Game Four Fight

Colorado Avalanche (8-4, C1) @ Vegas Golden Knights (11-4, P1) 

7 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 continues from Las Vegas as the Avalanche attempts to continue its season in Game Four against the Golden Knights on Tuesday.  

Game One: VGK 4, COL 2 

Game Two: VGK 3, COL 1 

Game Three: COL 3, VGK 5

Defeat in the Desert 

The Avalanche lost 5-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Three of the Western Conference Final at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday. Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Ross Colton each lit the lamp for Colorado, while Devon Toews posted two assists. At 3:21 of the first period, Landeskog opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the playoffs via a shot from the doorstep, capitalizing on Toews’ drive to the net off the rush after he picked up the puck sent by Nathan MacKinnon’s defensive-zone clearance. Kadri doubled Colorado’s lead at 7:03 of the first period with his third goal of the playoffs via a left-slot shot off the rush set up by Martin Necas’ feed after he received Josh Manson’s stretch pass from the defensive zone. The Avalanche took a 3-0 lead at 13:15 of the first period when Drury scored a shorthanded goal with his third tally of the playoffs via a backhand move on a breakaway after picking up a loose puck in the neutral zone. Mark Stone put Vegas on the board with a power-play goal via a shot from the right doorstep at 19 seconds of the middle frame. At 4:05 of the second period, William Karlsson made it 3-2 with a shot from the right slot. Keegan Kolesar tied the game for Vegas when he scored via a net-front shot at 12:46 of the second period. The Golden Knights took a 4-3 lead at 8:21 of the third period when Tomas Hertl scored with a backhand shot from the slot off the rush. Brett Howden doubled Vegas’ lead with an empty-net goal at 19:01 of the third period.

Leading the Way 

All Hail Cale 

Cale Makar is tied for first in goals (4) among NHL defensemen. 

Marty Party 

Necas ranks tied for fifth in the NHL in assists (11). 

Toewser Laser 

Among NHL blueliners, Toews is fourth in points (11), while ranking tied for fourth in assists (9) and tied for ninth 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.   

Lamp Lighting Against the Golden Knights 

Makar has posted seven points (1g/6a) in eight playoff games versus the Golden Knights, in addition to 14 points (5g/9a) in 20 regular-season contests against Vegas. 

Kadri has registered four points (1g/3a) in four playoff contests against Vegas, along with 21 points (11g/10a) in 31 regular-season games versus the Golden Knights. 

Toews has recorded seven points (1g/6a) in nine playoff games versus the Golden Knights, in addition to nine points (4g/5a) in 23 regular-season contests against Vegas. 

Scoring in Southern Nevada 

Mitch Marner leads the Golden Knights in points (21), while ranking second in assists (14) and third in goals (7). 

Jack Eichel leads Vegas in assists (16) and ranks second in points (18).  

Pavel Dorofeyev and Howden are tied for the team lead in goals (10), while ranking third and tied for fourth in points, respectively. 

A Numbers Game 

81 

With his goal on Sunday, Landeskog posted his 81st-career playoff point and tied Peter Stastny for the seventh most in franchise history. 

32 

Colorado’s 32 shots on goal per game on the road in the playoffs are the second most among remaining teams. 

9 

Among remaining teams, the Avalanche’s nine first-period goals against are tied for the fewest in the NHL. 

Quote That Left a Mark 

“There [are] a lot of people out there that would be giving up a lot to be in this position to have a chance. [It] starts with one game. That’s what it comes down to. Taking every little detail, not taking anything for granted, knowing that everything matters and the margin for error is razor thin.” 

-- Brock Nelson on the challenges of balancing the emotions of facing elimination