The Colorado Avalanche were left disappointed in Game One with a depleting 4–2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena. For the first time all playoffs long, the Avs are now behind in a series.

For Vegas, they did their job by earning at least a split to open the series. They’re the first team to knock off the Avalanche on home ice and now have them pretty concerned as the Western Conference Final goes on.

View From the Mountaintop

Colorado disappointed those in attendance in Game One, despite not playing all that badly. The Avs had more shots on net and had good stretches of offensive opportunities. They got two third-period goals from Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. But, they didn’t control play as much as they’d hoped. Vegas took its chances, especially coming from its depth. Even with the depth chipping in, there was still plenty of support up top with Mitch Marner and Pavel Dorofeyev connecting on the power play. Dorofeyev’s tally was his 10th of the playoffs, making him the first player in these Stanley Cup Playoffs to eclipse double digits.

On the defensive end, the Golden Knights disappointed Avalanche players and fans with their play. They didn’t allow Colorado to get into the interior of the ice much, blocking tons of shots. Despite that, they had more offensive zone time and shots on goal than Vegas. But they didn’t do enough with it. Part of it was Carter Hart playing perhaps his best game of the postseason. He finished with 36 saves, making some big saves down the line. His counterpart, Scott Wedgewood, might want the first goal back. But overall, he wasn’t too bad either, with 25 stops.


Defense was the difference in this game, and perhaps the changing factor came pre-game. Cale Makar, who hasn’t skated with the team all week, was left out of the series-opening game. He was officially listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. However, he’s been fighting through several things after getting roughed up against the Wild. While Vegas was without its captain, Mark Stone, they found guys to step up. Colorado did not, even with the additions of Artturi Lehkonen, Sam Malinski, Brent Burns, Josh Manson, and Jack Ahcan. The Avs’ best player all night was Logan O’Connor. While good for him individually, it was not the best night all around for the team.

Up Next

Game Two will take place on Friday night at Ball Arena, with another puck drop at 6:00 p.m. MT on ESPN. Colorado will need a win to get the series even before going on the road.