Avalanche fans can agree. Game 2 was not what they wanted to see from their club.
Sloppy puck control and at times lethargic game play had some wondering if the time off was not so much a good thing for the team. On top of that, Cale Makar was out for Game 1.
Now Colorado looks to even the series before heading to Vegas for the next two games. Vegas has played well at home during the regular season, going 20-12-9. In the postseason, Vegas has gone 4-2 at home.
You don’t have to look back far to see the last time Colorado overcame a Game 1 loss to win the series. In 2024, the Avalanche lost a high scoring Game 1 of the first round to the Winnipeg Jets 7-6. Colorado would win the next four games to advance to the second round against the Dallas Stars.
In Game 2, the Avalanche will need to forecheck harder and sustain pressure for the full 60 minutes. Coach Jared Bednar noted he liked how his team started and finished Game 1, but mentioned the intensity went missing for 20 minutes in the middle.
“The start of the game was good energy, good pace,” Bednar said. “Thought we faded away for about 20 minutes in there.”
“I liked the third period. I thought we had a lot of juice and energy in the third period to fight out way back into it.”
Over his last three games, we have seen Carter Hart at his best. The Vegas goaltender has allowed 5 goals in those three games and has averaged a .953 save percentage. The Avalanche offense will need to be firing on all cylinders
Vegas cannot just be satisfied with how they played in Game 1. There is a reason Colorado has been a Stanley Cup favorite for most of the season. The Avalanche have only lost consecutive games four times all season, the last time being in mid March. The Golden Knights, just like in Game 1, will need to figure out Colorado’s goaltending early.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday, May 22, at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
