- Carter Hart turns aside 36 shots as Vegas takes Game 1 in Denver
- Dylan Coghlan opens scoring with his first NHL goal since 2021
- Read below for the goal-by-goal recap, Tortorella on Coghlan, plus video
The Golden Knights stole Game 1 without their captain.
Vegas beat the Avalanche 4-2 at Ball Arena on Wednesday night to open the Western Conference Final, with Carter Hart turning aside 36 shots and Mark Stone watching from the press box.
Colorado was missing star defenseman Cale Makar too. He sat with an upper-body injury, and Dylan Coghlan opened the scoring at 12:29 of the second — a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Scott Wedgewood five-hole for his first NHL goal since Dec. 17, 2021.
Pavel Dorofeyev doubled the lead three minutes later on the power play. Mitch Marner found him short side from the right corner for his NHL-leading 10th goal of the playoffs. Marner now has 19 points (7G, 12A) this postseason.
Brett Howden tapped in a Ben Hutton rebound at 1:34 of the third to push it to 3-0. The Avalanche finally woke up after that.
Valeri Nichushkin deflected a Ross Colton pass through his legs at 5:53 of the third to cut it to 3-1. Gabriel Landeskog one-timed a Nathan MacKinnon cross-crease feed with 2:21 left to pull within one on a 6-on-4 advantage.
Nic Dowd raced down for the empty-netter to seal it.
Watch the highlights:
John Tortorella was asked about Coghlan, who has been filling in for the injured Jeremy Lauzon after spending most of the year in the AHL.
“When you say Dylan Coghlan to me, I think of no fear. I think he’s one of our best defensemen since he’s been with us and in the lineup. He’s a bit unflappable.”
Hear the full Vegas media availability:
Jared Bednar wasn’t dressing it up afterward.
“You’re gonna have to play a full 60, better than we did tonight. Especially with the puck.”
Game 2 is Friday night in Denver, with Colorado hoping Makar can suit up.
