The Vegas Golden Knights opened the Western Conference Final with a commanding performance Wednesday night, defeating the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Defenseman Dylan Coghlan scored his first playoff goal to spark Vegas, while goaltender Carter Hart turned aside 36 shots in a stellar effort that frustrated Colorado for most of the night.
Vegas controlled the pace early and never allowed the Avalanche’s explosive transition game to find rhythm. The Golden Knights clogged the neutral zone, blocked 23 shots and capitalized on defensive breakdowns from a Colorado blue line missing star defenseman Cale Makar, who sat out with an upper-body injury.
Coghlan’s moment came in the opening period when the 28-year-old blasted home his first NHL goal since Dec. 17, 2021. After spending most of the season in the American Hockey League, Coghlan has become an important postseason contributor for Vegas following the injury to defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.
Pavel Dorofeyev added to the lead with his NHL-best 10th goal of the playoffs, and Brett Howden also scored as Vegas built a 3-0 advantage entering the third period. Forward Mitch Marner contributed an assist, giving him 19 postseason points with seven goals and 12 assists.
Colorado finally broke through at 5:53 of the third when Valeri Nichushkin scored to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Avalanche made things tense late after captain Gabriel Landeskog buried a power-play goal with 2:21 remaining to pull Colorado within one.
But Vegas held firm, and Nic Dowd sealed the victory with an empty net goal in the closing seconds.
Hart was the difference throughout the night, delivering several highlight reel saves and getting help from the post during a frantic first period when Logan O’Connor rang a shot off the iron.
The Golden Knights earned the win despite being without injured captain Mark Stone, showing off the defensive structure and depth that carried them through the postseason.
Game 2 of the Western Conference Final is set for Friday night in Denver.
The series marks the second postseason meeting between Vegas and Colorado in a best-of-seven matchup. In 2021, the Avalanche won the first two games before the Golden Knights stormed back to win four straight and capture the series.
