Nazem Kadri scored with just 41 seconds left in the third period, propelling the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
After Marc-Andre Fleury made a crucial save on Mikko Rantanen’s backhand shot with just over 45 seconds remaining, the Avalanche capitalized on a faceoff in the right circle. The puck eventually found Kadri, who lifted it into the net for his second game-winning goal of the season.
“We wanted to keep it simple,” Kadri said. “I told the defensemen to get the puck on net, and we pounced on the rebound.”
Nathan MacKinnon and Brandon Saad scored for the Avalanche, while Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 shots. Grubauer, who led all goalies in January with six wins, continued his stellar season, ranking among the league’s best with eight wins, a 1.64 goals-against average, and a .936 save percentage.
“He’s our backbone,” Kadri added. “He’s driving this team, and we’re doing everything we can in front of him. That’s what we need to compete.”
Max Pacioretty and Jonathan Marchessault scored for the Golden Knights. Fleury, making his fifth consecutive start with Robin Lehner sidelined, made 22 saves.
This matchup was the second in a four-game stretch between the teams over nine days. The series continues on Saturday with an outdoor game at Lake Tahoe.
Despite the loss, Vegas (10-3-1) remains atop the West Division with 21 points. Colorado (8-4-1) is in third place with 17 points.
MacKinnon’s goal, his second in 10 career games against Vegas and first at T-Mobile Arena, came off a one-timer from Rantanen early in the first period. The Avalanche controlled the pace early, outshooting Vegas 9-7 in the first period.
“I think we knew their speed was coming,” said Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez. “They did it last game, too. We handled it better in that game than we did tonight. We’ve got to take away their time and space more effectively.”
Vegas struggled to find its flow early on, disrupted by penalties that left them shorthanded for six of the first 20 minutes.
Pacioretty tied the game in the second period with a wrist shot from the right circle, scoring on the power play—Vegas’ fifth game in its last eight with a power-play goal.
Saad responded just over a minute later, slipping a backhand shot through Fleury’s pads to restore Colorado’s lead.
Marchessault tied it at 2-2 in the third period with a backhand shot over a sprawled Grubauer, marking just the second 5-on-5 goal for Vegas in their last five games.
BIG SHOT
MacKinnon extended his streak of recording at least one shot in 232 consecutive regular-season games, the longest in Avalanche history.
MAKAR RETURNS, SORT OF
Colorado’s defenseman Cale Makar participated in warmups but was scratched before the game. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar described Makar as “day-to-day” and a “game-time decision.”
MILESTONES
Fleury remains two wins away from reaching 100 with Vegas. He is also four games shy of tying Gump Worsley for 12th place on the all-time games played list with 860.
QUICKSTARTS
Colorado has scored the first goal in 10 of its 13 games this season, the highest percentage in the NHL. They are 7-2-1 when scoring first.
WHAT’S NEXT
- The teams continue their four-game series at Lake Tahoe on Saturday, followed by a final game in Denver on Feb. 22.
