The Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from another trip to the Stanley Cup Final after delivering one of the most dramatic comebacks of the postseason Sunday night.
Trailing by three goals after the opening period, the Golden Knights stormed back to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Tomas Hertl scored the go-ahead goal at 8:21 of the third period, weaving through traffic and snapping a shot from the slot past Scott Wedgewood to cap a stunning rally that showcased once again why Vegas has become one of the NHL’s most resilient playoff teams.
The Golden Knights can complete the sweep Tuesday night and advance to their third Stanley Cup Final in nine seasons.
Vegas entered the night facing daunting odds. The Golden Knights had been 0-19 in franchise playoff history when trailing by three goals, while Colorado was 74-1 when leading by that margin. None of it mattered once the second period began.
Mark Stone ignited the comeback just 19 seconds into the middle frame with a power-play goal in his return to the lineup after missing time with a lower-body injury suffered during the second round against Anaheim. Stone’s quick strike shifted momentum immediately and gave Vegas life.
Keegan Kolesar followed with his first goal and point of the postseason after enduring a 37-game playoff goal drought, and Brett Howden later tied the game as Vegas erased the entire deficit before the second intermission.
Hertl’s eventual game-winner completed the comeback before William Karlsson sealed it late with an empty-net goal.
Hertl, Stone and Karlsson each finished with a goal and an assist, while Mitch Marner and Kaedan Korczak contributed two assists apiece. Carter Hart stopped 32 shots and settled in after Colorado’s explosive opening period.
The Avalanche looked poised to seize control early.
Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Jack Drury all scored in the first period as Colorado overwhelmed Vegas with speed and pressure. The Avalanche appeared headed toward complete control after a dramatic sequence midway through the period.
Vegas believed Pavel Dorofeyev had scored on the power play to cut the deficit to 2-1, but officials immediately waved the goal off and video review upheld the decision. Moments later, Colorado delivered an even bigger blow when Drury broke free short-handed and deked Hart on a breakaway to make it 3-0.
Instead of unraveling, the Golden Knights regrouped.
Vegas continued its trend of finding different ways to win despite being outshot for the ninth consecutive playoff game and the 11th time in 15 postseason contests. The Golden Knights also rallied from a deficit in Game 2, though that comeback came from only one goal down.
Colorado now faces the near impossible task of becoming just the fifth NHL team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. The 2014 Los Angeles Kings remain the most recent club to accomplish the feat.
The Avalanche may also have growing concerns surrounding superstar Nathan MacKinnon. The NHL’s regular season goal scoring leader appeared to injure his right knee after taking a puck off the leg in the second period. MacKinnon continued to play, but his health could loom large as Colorado fights to keep its season alive.
The return of star defenseman Cale Makar, who missed the first two games of the series with an upper-body injury, was not enough to slow down Vegas’ relentless push.
Now the Golden Knights stand one victory away from eliminating the league’s top regular-season team in stunning fashion and continuing their remarkable postseason run.
