By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
They matched point for point in the standings during the 56-game pandemic season.
But in Denver on Sunday, a well-rested Colorado Avalanche team demolished a Vegas squad that squeezed out a physically-draining seven-game series win only 48 hours earlier.
Result: Avalanche 7 Golden Knights 1 in front of attendance of 10,489 at Bell Arena, with Colorado five-for-five in the postseason after sweeping St. Louis in four games.
Colorado scored twice on 14 shots on VGK netminder Robin Lehner in the first period. The Knights looked like they didn’t have their legs, so to speak.
In the much-anticipated showdown between the two teams with the most points during the NHL’s shortened COVID-19 season, the Avs jumped on the Knights with goals by Mikko Rantanen (2) nearly five minutes in and Gabriel Landeskog (3) mid-way through the first period. Rantanen and Landeskog are two-thirds of what many believe is the best line in the league.
“They came out fast. We have do a better job handling their speed,” VGK fourth-line forward Patrick Brown said after the first period.
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In the second period, the Golden Knights hardly responded.
The Avalanche scored twice in the first four minutes to seize a 4-0 lead thanks to goals by Brandon Saad and Nathan MacKinnon (seventh in five games).
The Knights’ Mattias Janmark absorbed a brutal shoulder shot to the head from Colorado defenseman Ryan Graves, but VGK didn’t score on the power play.
Landeskog notched his second goal of the game with a power play backdoor tally with about five minutes left in the middle stanza and Colorado was cruising with a 5-0 lead.
The Knights countered with a goal by William Karlsson, but MacKinnon struck again with about three minutes left in the second period and the Avalanche were up, 6-1, after two periods.
The third period was muddied hockey, which included a lengthy nine-minute power play for Colorado. Avs defenseman Cale Makar scored on the power play to give Colorado a 7-1 lead. Final: Colorado 7 Vegas 1. VGK’s Ryan Reaves appeared to be looking to hurt Graves. Check this video:
After the game, Colorado’s Landeskog reportedly said on zoom, “Reaves is on a mission to hurt someone in the third. That’s what he goes out and does. I’m sure the league will take a look at it. It was intent to injure.”
Meanwhile, the Knights want to have a short-term memory as they prepare for Game 2 in Denver Wednesday.
“We’ll flush this one,” VGK captain Mark Stone said after the game.
The Knights and Avs split their eight games during the regular season. Marc-Andre Fleury started seven of the eight games.
Expect Fleury between the pipes in Game 2. The VGK return for Games 3 and 4 at T-Mobile Arena Friday and Sunday.