Avalanche collapse – Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Jack Drury gave the Colorado Avalanche a 3-0 first-period lead in Game 3, but a second-period collapse and a third-period finish from Tomas Hertl and Brett Howden sealed a 5-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Colorado now tr
The Avalanche looked like they were about to claw their way back into Game 3 of the Western Conference Final. Colorado started fast, pushed the pace early, and built a 3-0 lead after the opening period.
Then the temperature in the series changed—quietly at first, and then all at once.
Vegas scored three straight in the frame that mattered most. and a third-period surge finished the job in a 5-3 win Sunday at T-Mobile Arena. With the loss. Colorado is now one defeat away from elimination. trailing the best-of-seven series 3-0 despite carrying a 3-0 advantage after the first period.
Colorado’s response began right on time. Gabriel Landeskog scored his fifth playoff goal at 3:21 into the game after capitalizing on a rebound created by Devon Toews. At 7:03 of the first period. Nazem Kadri extended the lead to 2-0 with his third postseason goal off a rush started by Josh Manson’s stretch pass and Martin Necas’ setup. Jack Drury made it 3-0 at 13:15 when he converted a shorthanded breakaway goal.
The Avalanche’s early control was visible in the numbers too. They outshot Vegas 16-7 in the first period.
But the Golden Knights didn’t just answer—they reversed the momentum.
Captain Mark Stone returned after missing time with a lower-body injury suffered against the Anaheim Ducks on May 8. and he made an immediate impact by scoring on the power play only 19 seconds into the second period. William Karlsson cut the deficit to one at 4:05 before Keegan Kolesar tied the game 3-3 midway through the period. It was Kolesar’s first point and first goal of the postseason. his first in 37 playoff games after going scoreless through his previous contests.
When Jared Bednar was asked about the turnaround, he didn’t look for excuses in the first 20 minutes. He pointed directly at what happened in the second.
“They just got more competitive and we we didn’t stay with that intensity for me for nine minutes,” Bednar said. “A little bit of communication and some talk and we just didn’t dig in and match their intensity at the start of the second quick enough. For me it was nine minutes, those two goals, pretty much an onslaught.”.
Bednar added that once Vegas scored again, the game shifted even further.
“After they scored the second goal, we had the TV timeout, things kind of started to change a little bit for us. We got the power play, we got a couple of Nelson chances in the rush and more zone time, and then [they] just chipped away at that one goal lead and ended up winning the hockey game.”
The Avalanche also carried mounting injury concerns through Game 3.
Cale Makar returned after missing the first two games of the series and logged a team-high 28:34 with six blocked shots. though he did not record a point. Nathan MacKinnon suffered a right knee injury after blocking a shot in the second period and was limited afterward. Val Nichushkin missed the third period with an undisclosed injury.
Vegas completed its comeback in the third. Tomas Hertl scored the go-ahead goal at 8:21 before Brett Howden added an empty-netter for his 10th playoff goal. Carter Hart finished with 32 saves after allowing three first-period goals.
The result also continued a brutal postseason pattern for Colorado: comeback wins against the Avalanche in consecutive games by the Golden Knights.
Now the series moves immediately toward a single, unforgiving question—can Colorado survive one more night?
For the Avalanche heading into Tuesday’s Game 4 in Vegas, there’s no margin for error. It’s win or go home.
Colorado Avalanche Vegas Golden Knights Jared Bednar Game 3 Western Conference Final T-Mobile Arena Landeskog Kadri Drury Stone Kolesar Hertl Howden Hart Makar MacKinnon Nichushkin