Golden Knights beat Avalanche 3-1

The Vegas Golden Knights left Denver with a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference final after a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, May 22. Vegas trailed entering the third period before Jack Eichel tied the game and Ivan Barbashev put the Golden Knights ahead 2:07 later. An empty-net goal sealed the result as the series shifted to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Sunday, May 24. NHL.com said the win was Vegas’ franchise-best fourth third-period comeback of this postseason. ### How did Vegas flip a game it was losing after two periods? Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev turned the game in a short third-period burst. Sportsnet reported that Eichel tied the score and Barbashev scored the go-ahead goal in a 2:07 span, with Vegas going on to win 3-1. NHL.com’s game page lists the final as a Vegas road win in Game 2 on May 22 at Ball Arena in Denver. (nhl.com) NHL.com said the comeback carried added weight because Colorado had not lost all season when leading after two periods. The league’s May 23 morning notes said Vegas became the first team to beat the Avalanche in that situation in 2025-26, ending what it listed as a 45-1-0 mark across the regular season and playoffs. ### Why is the third-period rally the number people keep citing? (sportsnet.ca) NHL.com’s playoff coverage and league notes both pointed to the same figure: four. The Golden Knights’ Game 2 win was described as their fourth third-period comeback victory of the postseason, a franchise best. That number helps explain why the result has been framed less as a one-off push and more as part of a pattern in Vegas’ playoff run. (media.nhl.com) The same NHL.com report tied that trend to a broader shift in Vegas’ season. It said the Golden Knights had a habit of falling behind during the regular season and replaced Bruce Cassidy with John Tortorella on March 29. Yahoo’s republication of the Associated Press report said Vegas is 17-4-1 since Tortorella took over. (nhl.com) ### How much trouble is Colorado in now? Hockey-Reference lists Vegas ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series after wins in Game 1 on May 20 and Game 2 on May 22. Newsday’s preview entering Game 3 said Vegas carried the 2-0 edge back home, where Colorado needed a response to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole. (nhl.com) USA Today’s live coverage noted that Colorado played Game 2 without Cale Makar, and Newsday reported in its Game 1 story that the Avalanche had been juggling defensive pairings with Makar sidelined by an upper-body injury. That roster context mattered because Colorado allowed Vegas to erase another late deficit. (hockey-reference.com) ### What has decided the series so far? Vegas has won both games in Denver. Hockey-Reference shows the Golden Knights opened the series with a 4-2 win on May 20 before taking Game 2 by a 3-1 score on May 22. That gave Vegas two road wins against a Colorado team that finished 55-16-11 in the regular season, compared with Vegas at 39-26-17. (usatoday.com) Sportsnet quoted Golden Knights defenseman Dylan Coghlan after Game 2 saying, “We knew we could do it.” The same report described Colorado as the NHL’s best regular-season team and said it was now facing the pressure of trying to recover on the road. ### When and where does the series go next? (hockey-reference.com) Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, in Las Vegas. Hockey-Reference’s series page lists Game 4 for May 26, also in Las Vegas, before a possible Game 5 on May 28 back in Colorado. (hockey-reference.com) (sportsnet.ca)