Golden Knights take 2-0 lead

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 in Game 2 on Friday, May 22. Ivan Barbashev scored twice, including the winner, and Jack Eichel started the third-period comeback as Vegas erased a 1-0 deficit with three goals in the final period. NHL.com said Eichel and Barbashev scored 2:07 apart, flipping the game at Ball Arena. ### How did Vegas flip the game so fast? Colorado led 1-0 through two periods before Vegas broke through in the third. Eichel tied the game, and Barbashev put Vegas ahead at 11:22 of the period, with the two goals separated by 2:07, according to NHL.com. Barbashev then added an empty-net goal at 18:57 to seal the result. (nhl.com) NHL.com described the win as another example of Vegas staying with its game late. Barbashev told the site, “I think we’ve been a really good third-period team all season long,” after the Golden Knights turned a tight road game into a two-game series edge. ### Who drove the comeback for the Golden Knights? (nhl.com) Ivan Barbashev had two goals and an assist in Game 2, according to NHL.com’s recap. Eichel scored the tying goal and set up the go-ahead score, giving Vegas its key offensive push in the third period. Dylan Coghlan said after the game that Vegas believed it could handle the matchup even if others did not expect this series position. “We knew we could do it,” Coghlan said, according to Yahoo Sports and Sportsnet coverage that matched the NHL.com account of the comeback. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) ### What does the 2-0 lead actually look like on the scoreboard? The series score is straightforward: Vegas won Game 1 by a 4-2 margin and Game 2 by a 3-1 margin. NHL.com’s conference-final schedule page lists the Golden Knights ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. (sports.yahoo.com) Friday’s result also put Colorado in a hole despite home ice in the first two games. The Avalanche were the Presidents’ Trophy winners, NHL media materials said when the conference-final matchup was announced on May 18. ### Where did this game fit in the series schedule? The Western Conference final opened in Denver on Wednesday, May 20, and Vegas has now taken both road games to start the series. (nhl.com) NHL.com’s playoff series page lists Game 3 for Sunday, May 24, in Las Vegas, followed by Game 4 on Tuesday, May 26. (media.nhl.com) The official NHL schedule page lists Game 3 as Colorado at Vegas at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday. If needed, Game 5 is scheduled for May 28 in Denver, Game 6 for May 30 in Las Vegas and Game 7 for June 1 in Denver. ### What is Vegas taking into Game 3? NHL.com reported Sunday that Vegas has leaned on patience and third-period play in this run, citing the club’s ability to stay in games and push late. (nhl.com) Through two games in this series, that formula has produced two wins on the road and control of the matchup heading back to Las Vegas. (nhl.com) Sunday, May 24, is the next date on the series calendar, with Colorado trying to cut the deficit and Vegas trying to move within one win of the Stanley Cup Final. NHL.com lists the puck drop for Game 3 at 8 p.m. ET. (nhl.com) (nhl.com)