Golden Knights Top Avalanche in Game 3 Behind Furious 3rd-Period Rally

The Vegas Golden Knights returned to T-Mobile Arena on Friday and got right back in the win column against the Colorado Avalanche. The Knights took Game 3 of their second-round series, 3-2, as a noticeably more aggressive offense tested the limits of the Avs' defense and netminder Philipp Grubauer.

Despite Colorado still leading the series 2-1, it's a massive victory for Vegas, which avoids the brink of elimination for at least one more night. 

Only four teams in NHL history have advanced in the postseason after falling in a 3-0 series hole. The 2014 Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings were the last team to do so, knocking off the San Jose Sharks in Game 7.

That's no longer the Knights' concern as they move closer to evening the series.

Notable Performers

Max Pacioretty, LW, Vegas Golden Knights: 1 Goal (Game-winner), 8 SOG, 5 Hits

Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Vegas Golden Knights: 18 Saves, 2 Goals Allowed

Mikko Rantanen, RW, Colorado Avalanche: 1 Goal, 3 SOG, 17-Game Playoff Point Streak

Philipp Grubauer, G, Colorado Avalanche: 39 Saves, 3 Goals Allowed

Vegas Saves Season in 45 Seconds

The Knights were about as close as a team can get to the brink of elimination before they pulled themselves together and made this a series again. 

Five minutes into the third period, Mikko Rantanen let a slap shot rip straight off a face-off win and pass from defenseman Cale Makar that Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had no chance to stop with an Avs' screen right in front of him.

The goal gave Colorado a 2-1 lead that remained for the next 10 minutes. 

Then it was Max Pacioretty and Jonathan Marchessault's turn to take over. The two players have been Vegas' cornerstones since they arrived in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Now they were keeping their franchise's Stanley Cup dreams alive 45 seconds at a time. 

All night long the Knights tried to defeat Grubauer head on. It wasn't until Marchessault tried to beat him from behind that Vegas was able to tie things up. With the puck just below the goal line, Marchessault tossed a chip shot off the goalie's back that he had no chance to save, let alone see. The soft bounce went right off the otherwise unflappable netminder and evened things up right away. 

That might not have seemed like much of a big deal for the Avs at first, considering the Knights broke the scoring up in the second period on a William Karlsson tally only to see Carl Soderberg even things at 1-1 less than two minutes later, but it was all the Knights needed to prove they could win this game. 

Pacioretty did just that 45 seconds after Marchessault's equalizer, deflecting a shot from the point by Nicolas Hague straight past the Avs' goalie.

If the Knights are able to pull off a victory in the second-round series, those 45 seconds will be one to remember as the moment things turned around in Vegas.

Bednar's Gamble Fails

After watching his team give up shot attempt after shot attempt, Colorado coach Jared Bednar decided he'd had enough. 

Sure the Knights had used home-ice advantage well and came out for the opening faceoff with an extra burst of energy, but that was to be expected. What Bednar didn't plan for was Vegas out-shooting his club 24-12 after two periods. 

It wasn't just that Vegas' offense was able to rip off shots at Grubauer at will. It was that home-ice advantage allowed the Knights to mostly get the line matchups they wanted. Bednar saw enough. He threw out the line combinations he used in the first two frames and started over. 

Aside from Rantanen's tally, it proved a disaster. 

Colorado had fewer shot attempts in the third period (8) than it did in the second (9) and with four minutes left to play, and in desperate need of an equalizer, his offense couldn't pull through.

That might not send the coach entirely back to the drawing board before Game 4, but it's clear he's ready to make some larger changes if necessary. 

After taking their first six postseason contests this year, the Avs' offense appears to be cooling off.

It's on Bednar to help heat it back up. 

What's Next

Game 4 is set for Sunday night in Vegas at 8:30 p.m. on NBCSN.