With Cale Makar once again missing from the lineup, the Colorado Avalanche failed to bounce back in Game 2, falling 3-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena, and now find themselves down 2-0 in the Western Conference Final. In a tight-checking affair that was decided in the final twenty minutes, Vegas executed their game plan, while Colorado looked unusually passive after taking a 1-0 lead into the final frame.
For an Avalanche squad built for a Cup run, surrendering home ice is a harsh reality check. Colorado must now regroup quickly to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive. A big part of that will be hoping Cale Makar can suit up for Game 3.
Game Highlights
The contest remained a defensive struggle through the first forty minutes, with the decisive action entirely compressed into the final frame. Colorado initially struck first late in the opening period. With 3:01 remaining on the clock, Ross Colton found quiet ice and fired a 21-foot wrist shot past Hart, giving the Avalanche a 1-0 advantage. Brent Burns and Nazem Kadri picked up the assists, rewarding a strong offensive push from the home side.
The second period was a scoreless goaltending duel. Both Hart and Avalanche netminder Scott Wedgewood traded timely stops, preserving the one-goal margin and setting the stage for a tense third period. However, the Vegas offense finally broke through. At the 10:45 mark of the third, Jack Eichel buried a 34-foot wrist shot into the lower left corner. Set up by Pavel Dorofeyev and Ivan Barbashev, the equalizer shifted the game’s momentum firmly toward the visiting bench.
Vegas capitalized on that shift just over two minutes later. At 8:38 of the third, Barbashev netted the eventual game-winner, beating Wedgewood with a 42-foot wrist shot perfectly placed in the upper left corner. Eichel and Dorofeyev recorded the helpers, swapping their scoring and assisting roles from the previous sequence.
Trailing by a goal, Colorado pulled Wedgewood in the closing minutes for an extra attacker. The aggressive push failed to yield a tying marker; instead, with 1:03 remaining in regulation, Barbashev sealed the 3-1 victory by launching a 101-foot shot from his own zone into the empty net. Rasmus Andersson logged the lone assist on the play that put the game out of reach.
Key Takeaways
A granular look at the box score shows a game dictated by shot quality over sheer volume, heavy deployment on the blue line, and a dominant Colorado faceoff performance that failed to translate onto the scoreboard.
Missing Makar
Across two games, Colorado’s entire defensive corps has combined for just two assists and zero goals. The void Makar leaves isn’t just in terms of skill — it’s in terms of sheer offensive production, puck-moving ability, and the fear he creates in opposing penalty kills and defensive structures.
Devon Toews has been asked to carry an enormous load as the de facto No. 1 defenseman. He logged 27:32 in Game 1 and 28:59 in Game 2. The problem is that the wheels came off in Game 2: he went -2 with 4 giveaways, which is a brutal combination for a guy eating that many minutes. He did record an assist in Game 1, but his puck security in the second game directly contributed to Colorado’s third-period collapse. Toews is a very good defenseman, but asking him to carry Makar’s minutes and responsibilities is an unfair ask.
Giveaways ruin an otherwise good performance
On paper, the Avalanche were the better team for most of Game 2 — and that’s precisely what makes this loss so difficult to swallow. Colorado outshot Vegas 30-25, won a dominant 59% of faceoffs (34 of 58), and blocked 20 shots compared to Vegas’ 16. They were the more physical team through the first two periods, out-hitting The Golden Knights 24-22 through 40 minutes. The Avs were doing everything right structurally and yet still found a way to lose.
The culprit was 16 giveaways — a staggering number compared to Vegas’ 10 turnovers — and an 0-for-2 showing on the power play. In the playoffs, you simply cannot hand a team like Vegas free chances, and Colorado’s careless puck management in their own zone became increasingly costly as the game wore on. These are two issues we may not be talking about if Makar were still in the lineup. But he wasn’t and the Avalanche need to find a way to overcome his absence.
Hart outperforming Wedgewood
The backbone of Vegas’ stunning Game 2 victory was the performance in net. Vegas’ goaltender, Carter Hart, came up with a 29-save effort on 30 shots, holding the heavily-favored Avalanche to a single goal despite being outplayed for long stretches.
Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood allowed two goals in the third on just eight Vegas shots. While it’s hard to say Wedgewood played poorly, he did fail to make big saves when it mattered most. The goaltending gap in that third period was the margin of defeat.
Looking forward
Following this 3-1 setback at Ball Arena, the Avalanche now have to pack their bags for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the next two games of the series. Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24 at 6:00 PM MT, and is a virtual must-win for the Avalanche.
As the series continues to progress, be sure to follow all the latest developments. For comprehensive coverage, ongoing series updates, and more Colorado Avalanche news, check out our dedicated team page to stay informed on every crucial puck drop.
***
Sportradar Content Studio contributed to this story.