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Game 1: Beaten Up (Colorado 7, Vegas 1)
Colorado’s Tyson Jost puts a hold on Vegas’ William Karlsson in Game 1 of the series.
Playing just 48 hours after besting Minnesota in a grueling best-of-seven series, the Golden Knights got off to a tough start against the well-rested Avalanche. In its only matchup against Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner, Colorado cruised to a 5-0 lead before the Knights got on the scoreboard, and the home team’s stars—Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar—combined for six goals and 12 points.
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Game 2: Overtime Heartache (Colorado 3, Vegas 2 (OT))
The Avalanche celebrate Mikko Rantanen’s overtime-winning shot to close out Game 2.
The Golden Knights fell behind 0-2 in the series when Mikko Rantanen found the net 2:07 into overtime, but Vegas began laying out the blueprint for victory. The Knights outshot the Avalanche 41-25—getting goals from Alex Martinez and Reilly Smith—while holding Colorado’s dangerous top line mostly in check. Though Rantanen’s game-winner against Marc-André Fleury felt like a dagger in the moment, Vegas returned home with confidence nonetheless.
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Game 3: Enter the Fortress (Vegas 3, Colorado 2)
A capacity T-Mobile Arena crowd celebrates the Knights’ Game 3 win over Colorado.
The season’s first capacity crowd filled T-Mobile Arena at just the right time, helping the Golden Knights avoid a 3-0 series hole. Still, despite outshooting Colorado 43-20, Vegas would need late-game heroics from Jonathan Marchessault and Max Pacioretty to notch its first playoff win over the Avs.
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Game 4: Hats Off! (Vegas 5, Colorado 1)
Jonathan Marchessault reacts after the first of his three goals in Vegas’ Game 4 win over the Avalanche.
The Golden Knights’ massive shot advantage (35-18) finally resulted in a lopsided victory, as Vegas scored five straight goals to wipe out an early Avalanche lead. Jonathan Marchessault led the way, posting the first playoff hat trick of his career to tie the series at two and give the Knights momentum heading back to Denver.
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Game 5: Winning Up There (Vegas 3, Colorado 2 (OT))
Mark Stone didn’t score here, but the Golden Knights’ captain would go on to beat Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer in overtime in Game 5.
The Golden Knights got the road win they needed when Mark Stone took a pass from Max Pacioretty, stayed ahead of two opposing players and snapped a high shot past Avalanche goalie Philipp Grubauer just 50 seconds into overtime. Getting there required a late comeback by Vegas, with Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault tallying third-period goals, and Marc-André Fleury turning away two good chances by Colorado just moments into the extra session.
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Game 6: Finishing At Home (Vegas 6, Colorado 3)
Vegas’ Alec Martinez and Marc-André Fleury share a moment after the Golden Knights’ series-clinching Game 6 win over Colorado.
Back at T-Mobile, the Golden Knights and Avalanche played an entertaining, back-and-forth contest, with Colorado scoring first and then battling back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits. But Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo scored with 18 seconds left in the second period, and the Knights found the net twice more in the third to avoid Game 7, eliminate the top-seeded Avs and advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals against Montreal.
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