Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche Game 2 Preview: Big Favorites Look to Rebound
This was set to be the toughest matchup yet for the Colorado Avalanche, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights certainly lived up to that hype, defeating the Avalanche 4-2 on May 20 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Game 1 Recap: Golden Knights Shed First Blood
In a home game that the Avalanche greatly wanted to win, they fell short. Dylan Coghlan of Vegas was the first to score, and teammates Pavel Dorofayev, Brett Howden, and Nic Dowd also scored. Dowd’s goal was a game-winner. It was Coghlan’s first career playoff goal. Regular scorers Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin tallied points for the Avalanche.
Carter Hart showed up when it mattered in Game 1 for the Golden Knights, saving 36 shots. Scott Wedgewood had an uncharacteristic day for the Avalanche, saving 24 shots. It is also telling that Colorado outshot Vegas, but lost by two goals. They are usually sharper offensively, and the Golden Knights were able to control play to their advantage.
A key factor working against the Avalanche here is the fact that Brock Nelson, usually strong on defense and offense, was limited to four shots on goal. He’s going to have to improve in Game 2 to bolster the Avalanche’s roster, which is still without Cale Makar for the moment.
It’s not like it was a total blowout. At one point, the Avalanche were within a goal of tying the game, even without Nelson performing well and with Makar absent. Landeskog’s goal came on a power play, with 6-on-4 as Wedgewood had been pulled by that point.
Dorofayev scored his 10th goal of the playoffs. He became just the sixth player in NHL history to score double-digit goals in a single postseason. Howden has scored a goal in the last 6 road games, just the sixth man in league history to do so. The goal was his third game-winner this postseason, and he’s the fifth man to score 3 or more game-winners in a single playoff run.
Post-Game 1 Reactions
The Golden Knights were thrilled with their win, especially their coach, John Tortorella.
“To come into this building against that team in this type of situation where they try to kind of blitz you, I thought our first period was good,” Tortorella said. “It was a good road period for us. Listen, we had some major inconsistencies. We didn’t play a flawless game by any means. We got some timely goals, got some great saves at key times. We have work to do. Nice to get the first one under your belt and get a win, but we have plenty of work to do when we’re playing against that team.”
The Avalanche were not so happy with how they played, meanwhile. “I thought it was good at times and not good enough at others,” Colorado Head Coach Jared Bednar said. “Like the start of the game, good energy, good pace, thought we faded away for 20 minutes in there. I’d like to see the urgency and the relentlessness that we had in the third period earlier in the game, for longer stretches. Lots to improve upon for our group going into Game 2.”
Game 2 Preview
The Golden Knights will be at the Avalanche’s home once again for Game 2, and will want to improve to take an important 2-0 lead going into their home games.
For the Avalanche, they will need to take back control offensively from the Golden Knights and return to being the fastest team in the NHL. They’re certainly not out of it, and with Nelson back on his game and Makar potentially returning, they will try to take back the momentum.
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