It only took another 60 minutes of hockey for the Avalanche to go from “just shaking off the rust” to slamming the panic button on their season.
The Western Conference Final shifts to Vegas on Sunday with the Presidents’ Trophy winners staring at a potential 3-0 hole to the Golden Knights.
Vegas ripped the carpet from beneath the Avalanche, scoring the tying and game-winning goals in just a matter of 2:07 in the third period en route to the 3-1 triumph.
This was in spite of Colorado outshooting the Knights — again — this time to the tune of 30-25. It marked the Knights’ seventh win having been outshot and the fourth third-period comeback victory this postseason.
Colorado had never lost a game this season when leading after two periods (they were 45-0-0), but failure to convert on premium looks, defensive-zone turnovers and rickety goaltending cost them the final score — even if they did command the box score.
Yet, the “must-win” tax on the NHL’s wire-to-wire standings leader in Game 3 isn’t nearly as expensive as you’d think it’d be. They’re a modest -138 at Kalshi to cut the deficit as Vegas head coach John Tortorella’s resilient mentality is beginning to make oddsmakers a little bearish on just how unstoppable the Avs are.
With or without Cale Makar manning the blue line, the Avalanche’s problems bleed deeper to shot discipline, losing board battles and other key players not pulling their weight.
It sounds like a lot to fix in two days and now on the road, but they’re still not broken — far from it, actually. Five-on-five play doesn’t lie, and the Avalanche controls the shot share there by nearly 10 percent, along with a 22-10 high-danger shot advantage.
There’s only so much the Knights can nullify in losing that margin, so expect Nathan Mackinnon and the Avalanche to make those numbers sing.
THE PLAY: Avalanche moneyline (-138, Kalshi)
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
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