A seemingly momentum-shifting power-play goal by Pavel Dorofeyev was waved off after a disputed no-goal call in the first period, then Colorado struck right back. Jack Drury’s short-handed breakaway made it 3-0, putting the Avalanche up in Game 3 of the Wester
LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights believed they had trimmed Colorado’s lead in half early Sunday. They didn’t get the goal. A no-goal call that immediately sparked disbelief instead became the hinge of a two-goal swing. and it left the Avalanche standing with a 3-0 advantage that could loom heavily in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final.
Colorado entered the stretch looking to turn a 2-0 series deficit into something more survivable for the Golden Knights. But first, Vegas had a moment that looked like it might change the emotional temperature inside T-Mobile Arena.
With 7:26 left in the first period, Vegas forward Pavel Dorofeyev appeared to score a power-play goal. Officials waved it off right away, and after a video review the decision stood. Even after the initial no call, the Golden Knights didn’t treat it like a dead end. They ran through the high-five line. operating on the belief the call would be reversed once the footage was fully checked.
On the ice, officials ruled that the puck went off Dorofeyev’s glove, according to the ESPN broadcast, and they found the video inconclusive. Dorofeyev’s stick might also have been above the cross bar, though it was at least even with it.
What made the swing hurt wasn’t only that Vegas failed to get the goal. It was the way Colorado responded in the next breath.
The Avalanche cashed in almost immediately. Jack Drury found himself alone on a breakaway and deked Vegas goalie Carter Hart before scoring a short-handed goal with 6:45 left, extending Colorado’s lead to three.
Just before the game could settle after the dispute, the play flipped again: the moment that should have brought Vegas back from the brink instead left them one swing farther from the scoreline they hoped to chase.
NHL Western Conference Final Avalanche Golden Knights Game 3 Pavel Dorofeyev Carter Hart Jack Drury no-goal power play short-handed goal