Vegas Golden Knights beat Avalanche 3-1

The Vegas Golden Knights left Denver with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final. Ivan Barbashev scored twice, Jack Eichel tied the game, and Carter Hart made 29 saves as Vegas erased a 1-0 deficit with three third-period goals at Ball Arena. (nhl.com) Ross Colton scored Colorado’s only goal, and Scott Wedgewood stopped 22 shots. The turnaround came after the Avalanche carried a one-goal lead into the third period. ### How did Vegas flip a game it trailed after two periods? Jack Eichel tied the score at 9:15 of the third period, finishing a play set up by Pavel Dorofeyev and Barbashev. (nhl.com) Ivan Barbashev then put Vegas ahead at 11:22, taking a pass from Eichel after Dorofeyev disrupted Colorado’s clearing attempt along the boards. The two goals came 2:07 apart. Ivan Barbashev added an empty-net goal at 18:57 for the 3-1 final. NHL.com listed Barbashev with two goals and an assist, Eichel with a goal and an assist, and Dorofeyev with two assists. (nhl.com) ### What did Barbashev say changed in the third period? Ivan Barbashev told NHL.com that Vegas “just played simple” and said the Golden Knights had been “a really good third-period team all season long.” He said the group “just stuck with that” after trailing entering the final period. John Tortorella, the Vegas coach, said the second period had been a struggle but called it important that his team reached the intermission down only 1-0. “We found a way,” Tortorella said, adding that Vegas would “have to be better each and every game.” (nhl.com) ### Where did Colorado have control, and where did it slip? Ross Colton gave Colorado a 1-0 lead at 16:59 of the first period on a goal assisted by Brent Burns and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche outshot Vegas 30-25 overall and held the Golden Knights to four shots in the second period. (nhl.com) Carter Hart’s 29 saves kept the game within one goal until the third-period swing. NHL.com named Hart the game’s second star and credited him with a.967 save percentage for the night. ### Which players drove the result for Vegas? (nhl.com) Pavel Dorofeyev figured in both comeback goals, assisting on Eichel’s equalizer and on Barbashev’s winner. Jack Eichel had a hand in two of Vegas’ three goals, scoring once and assisting once. Barbashev finished as the game’s first star. Dylan Coghlan told NHL.com that the Golden Knights came to Denver aiming for more than a split. “Our goal was to come here and get two,” Coghlan said, adding that the team now expects a loud building back home at T-Mobile Arena. (nhl.com) ### What does the schedule look like from here? Game 3 is set for Sunday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. NHL.com listed the start time as 8 p.m. ET, with Vegas carrying a 2-0 edge into the first home game of the series. The series opened in Denver on May 20 and remained there for Game 2 on May 22 before shifting to Las Vegas. (nhl.com) The Golden Knights now need two more wins to eliminate the Avalanche and reach the Stanley Cup Final. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)