You gotta see what happened to the Colorado Avalanche last night
Man, that was a tough descent out in Vegas last night. The Colorado Avalanche started hot, blazing a trail with three goals in the first period against the Golden Knights. Gabriel Landeskog got things going early, then Nazem Kadri found the net, and even J. Drury potted a short-handed goal. We were up 3-0 and everyone back in Denver was feeling good, probably already plotting their Sunday brunch at Snooze. But then the second period hit, and it was like hitting a patch of slush after carving perfect corduroy – the Golden Knights came roaring back with three goals of their own, including a power play goal from Mark Stone and another from William Karlsson. Vegas just kept pressing, and by the final horn, they had chipped away to win it 5-3.
It was a strange one, watching the lead just melt away like that. The Avalanche had 35 shots to Vegas's 23, so they were definitely generating offense, but the Golden Knights capitalized when it mattered. The second period turn was brutal: Stone's power play goal just 19 seconds in, then Karlsson, and Keegan Kolesar tied it up before the second intermission. Then, in the third, Tomas Hertl got the go-ahead, and Brett Howden sealed it late. It felt like the Colorado Avalanche just couldn't find their footing after that initial push. Cale Makar wasn't on the score sheet, which always feels a little off when we're talking about offensive production.
This loss stings a bit, especially when you're thinking about the Central Division race, but the Colorado Avalanche still sit comfortably at 55-16-11 with 121 points, firmly in first. Their 7-2-1 run over the last ten games still shows strong momentum, and one loss on the road against a good team isn't going to derail this season. It's a reminder that even the best teams face tricky terrain. We regroup, reset, and look ahead.
Altitude hockey — the air is thin and the Avs are here. Vanny out.
The crew on mornings.live will be digging into every shift of this one; you should check it out.