Avalanche doomed by two 3rd-period mistakes in Game 2 loss to Golden Knights

The Colorado Avalanche find themselves in an 0-2 hole after a 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.

The Golden Knights capitalized on two crucial third-period mistakes. With the Avs leading 1-0 midway through the third period, a costly turnover in the offensive zone led to a 3-on-2 rush that culminated with a goal by Jack Eichel.

The play shouldn’t have amounted to much, but a split-second move Devon Toews allowed Eichel an extra moment to tee up the shot. The puck hit the outside portion of the net and past Scott Wedgewood for the equalizer.

Sure, it’s easy to nitpick on how Toews played the situation. But if it hadn’t been for the turnover and the microscopic opening that Eichel utilized to score his first goal in 11 games, the Avs could have pulled off the win.

Moments later, another costly turnover, this time it was Toews in the Colorado zone. A clearing attempt went wrong as Toews got tangled up with Brock Nelson. That led to a loose puck, on which Eichel fed to Ivan Barbashev for the go-ahead goal.

That was the story of the game. A fantastic all-around effort by the Avalanche was wasted in about two minutes. The Avs pushed the rest of the third period, but Vegas did well to stand tall. Colorado could not muster any significant high-danger chances.

Vegas added an empty-netter to seal the victory.

The series will now head to Sin City for Game 3 on Sunday night. The pressure will now really be on the Avalanche to get back into the series. Jared Bednar will now seriously have to figure out how to shuffle his lineup, as the lack of offense has now reached a critical point.

The other major issue will be Cale Makar. His absence during the first two games has been devastating. Perhaps getting the Norris Trophy winner back for the remainder of the series could turn things around.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow