On The Strip, the Colorado Avalanche’s J.T. Compher and Nathan MacKinnon scored 26 seconds apart in the third period to rally the Avs from a 1-2 deficit and send them to a 3-2 win on Saturday night, over the Golden Knights. 
The Avs trailed after the Knights scored twice in the opening frame.
“The first period could have been a lot worse for us, in my opinion, and to get out of that with the score close was a big win for us in that department,” Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said. “[Kuemper] was great. He played like a big goalie today and looked confident again. That’s the second game in a row here that he’s been a big difference-maker for us.”
Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves in the Avs win.
Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault were the first period strikers for the Golden Knights.
“This is kind of how it’s going for us, we fall asleep for a couple of minutes and we lose the game there,” Marchessault said. “They score one goal and the next shift is important, and it’s kind of a breakout play and they cash in again. They have some of the best players in the world out there, and they’re the best team. This is the adversity we’re facing, and we better get out of it.”
Colorado improved to 39-10-4.
“Vegas is going to come out hard in their building, they always do, they have a fast team,” Bednar said. “We didn’t manage the puck properly. We had way too many neutral-zone turnovers trying to force passes, too many plays at the blue line that we didn’t manage the puck properly.”
Andre Burakovsky scored in the first period, his goal tied the game, 1-1, at the time.
“He was playing well before that, the goals just weren’t there,” MacKinnon said. “He’s finding his scoring touch again. He can get really hot when he gets going, can really put it in the back of the net, and he’s a really special player.”
Vegas dropped to 29-20-4.
“We left it out there. That’s exactly how we want to play, going into the third with the lead,” Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer said. “We gave them three shots in the third and they scored two. It was MacKinnon’s first shot on net that he scored on after having 14 last night (in a 6-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets). We did a lot of really good things, except win. It’s that fine line and when you’re playing one of the elite teams, you have to do everything right.”
Laurent Brossoit made 18 saves in the Vegas loss.
“We’ve had [adversity] all year with injuries and whatnot,” Vegas’ Brayden McNabb said. “We’ve handled it well in the past and we’re in it again, and we just have to get back to basics. We played a good game, we had chances, and we have to bear down. They get a chance and they put it in the net. It’s frustrating, but you put your work boots on, make sure your compete is there, and things will fall into place.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.