Golden Knights beat Avalanche 4-2 Game 1

Carter Hart stopped 36 shots on Wednesday, May 20, as the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 1 of the Western Conference final at Ball Arena in Denver. Pavel Dorofeyev scored for Vegas, and the Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, according to NHL.com. Colorado entered the series as the top seed in the West, but opened the round with a home loss. The result also came with the Avalanche missing defenseman Cale Makar because of an undisclosed injury, NHL.com reported. ### Where did the preliminary card get the details wrong? The NHL’s official game report places Game 1 in Denver on Wednesday, May 20, not Thursday in Las Vegas. NHL.com said Vegas won 4-2 at Ball Arena, and the league playoff schedule lists Game 2 for Friday, May 22, also in Denver. That means the series opened on Colorado’s home ice because the Avalanche held home-ice advantage. (nhl.com) CBS Sports separately matched the 4-2 score and Hart’s 36 saves in its Game 2 betting preview, but the league schedule is the clearest source for the date and site. The official series page shows Vegas leading 1-0 with Games 1 and 2 in Colorado before the series shifts to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Sunday, May 24. (nhl.com) ### How did Vegas win the opener? Hart’s workload was the clearest number from the game: 36 saves on 38 Colorado shots. NHL.com said Dorofeyev scored, and the recap described Vegas as holding off Colorado late after building the lead. Fox Sports’ box score also lists the final as 4-2 and confirms Colorado outshot Vegas 38-28. CBS Sports reported that four different Vegas players scored and seven players recorded one assist each. (cbssports.com) That distribution fits the way Vegas has won through the postseason — with offense spread across the lineup rather than concentrated in one scorer. CBS also noted the Golden Knights improved their road form in the playoffs, while NHL.com’s result shows that first win in this round came away from home. That last point is an inference from the game location and result. (nhl.com) ### What was Colorado missing in Game 1? Cale Makar was out with an undisclosed injury, according to NHL.com’s recap and USA Today’s live coverage. Makar’s absence mattered because Colorado lost a top defenseman and transition player in the series opener. USA Today described the result as a win over a “Cale Makar-less” Avalanche team. Colorado still generated volume. (cbssports.com) The Avalanche finished with 38 shots, and Hart turned aside 36 of them. NHL.com’s recap and the Avalanche’s team site both recorded the 4-2 defeat and identified it as Game 1 of the conference final. ### What does Game 2 set up? Friday, May 22, is the next date on the series page, with Game 2 again at Ball Arena in Denver. (nhl.com) The NHL schedule lists Games 3 and 4 in Las Vegas on May 24 and May 26 if needed, followed by a return to Denver for Game 5 on May 28 if the series extends. Colorado coach Jared Bednar was scheduled to speak after Thursday’s practice ahead of Game 2, according to the Avalanche’s team site. (nhl.com) The Avalanche page for the series also labels Friday’s matchup “Avalanche Hosts Golden Knights on Friday,” underscoring that Colorado remains at home for the second game before the series moves to Nevada. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)