Coghlan making most of Stanley Cup Playoff opportunity with Golden Knights

DENVER -- Dylan Coghlan didn’t know the puck had gone into the net until he looked at teammate Shea Theodore.

“He was smiling at me,” Coghlan said. “Yeah, kind of just blacked out for a second.”

It was a big moment for Coghlan, who helped the Vegas Golden Knights defeat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final at Ball Arena on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old defenseman gave Vegas a 1-0 lead at 12:29 of the second period when he fired a wrist shot from the high slot between the pads of Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood.

He had never scored before in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he hadn’t scored in the NHL since Dec. 27, 2021, when he had a goal for the Golden Knights in a 3-2 shootout win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

“Couldn’t be happier for the guy,” Vegas goalie Carter Hart said.

It has been a long journey since Coghlan’s last NHL goal.

Coghlan had no goals in 17 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022-23, none in one game for the Hurricanes in 2023-24, none in six games for the Winnipeg Jets in 2024-25 and none in three games for the Golden Knights this season, giving him six goals in 115 regular-season games in his NHL career.

But he had 44 goals in 164 games in the American Hockey League over that span, including 14 goals in 62 games this season for Henderson, Vegas’ AHL affiliate. He played in all situations and felt good about his game.

Coghlan made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 3 of the second round against the Anaheim Ducks, helping fill the void after defenseman Jeremy Lauzon sustained an upper-body injury. He played his fifth straight game Wednesday.

“I didn’t really have a lot to lose coming in and stepping up,” Coghlan said. “I think I only played three games in the regular season. But yeah, this is probably the best I’ve felt in my whole career. Whoever it is I’m playing with, I’m very comfortable out there with them. They make it pretty easy on me, and we have some pretty world-class players.”

Coghlan has impressed coach John Tortorella with his confidence.

“When you say Dylan Coghlan to me, I think of no fear,” Tortorella said. “I don’t think he’s afraid to make a play. I think he’s one of our best defensemen since he’s been with us and in the lineup as far as gaps. He’s not afraid to stand up in plays. I just think he plays. He’s a bit unflappable.”

Tortorella said he and general manager Kelly McCrimmon were talking about Coghlan the other day.

“You’ve got to be really careful giving up on (defensemen), because you just never know when they mature,” Tortorella said. “Maybe this is his gateway, right? Because he’s given us some solid minutes.

“I’m happy for him, because he’s plugged along, plugged along, with his background. It’s a huge goal for us, because the game was going both ways. They had momentum. He’s an easy guy to pull for.”