The Vegas Golden Knights overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat the Colorado Avalanche, 5-3, in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final on Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena, taking a 3-0 series lead.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
Gabriel Landeskog gave the Avalanche an early lead as he scored at 3:21 of the first period. Colorado doubled their lead just over seven minutes into the frame with a goal from Nazem Kadri. Colorado went up by three with 6:45 remaining in the first when Jack Drury scored a shorthanded goal on the breakaway. Mark Stone cut Vegas’ deficit to two as he lit the lamp on the man advantage 19 seconds into the middle frame. Mitch Marner received a feed from Tomas Hertl above the left faceoff circle and found Stone streaking through traffic to the far post to tuck it home. William Karlsson brought the Golden Knights within one at 4:05 of the second period, burying a rebound from Marner’s shot after corralling the loose puck in the slot to make it 3-2. Vegas drew even at three with 7:14 remaining in the frame with their third straight tally when Keegan Kolesar tipped Dylan Coghlan’s point shot off the post and backhanded it in as it rolled along the goal line. Hertl gave the Golden Knights their first lead of the night at 8:21 of the third period, dancing around Sam Malinski on the rush before going backhand above Scott Wedgewood’s outstretched blocker for the game-winning goal and a 4-3 advantage. With just under a minute left in regulation, Brett Howden fired the puck from Vegas’ own blue line, shutting the door with an empty netter to give the Golden Knights a 5-3 victory. Carter Hart stopped 32 of the 35 shots he faced, including 19 through the final two periods in the win.
TOP PERFORMERS
Tomas Hertl: Hertl earned first star after picking up a goal and an assist, including his first postseason game-winning goal since joining Vegas.
Mark Stone: Stone recorded a two-point outing in his return to the lineup including his 40th playoff goal as a member of the Golden Knights, the most in franchise history.
Mitch Marner: Marner logged his sixth multi-point game (2A) this postseason, tied for the second most by a Golden Knight in a single playoff run.
William Karlsson: Karlsson netted his first goal this postseason since his return to the lineup, collected a helper, and finished as a game-high +3 in the win.
Keegan Kolesar: Kolesar’s equalizer marked his first goal this postseason.
Carter Hart: Hart turned aside 32-of-35 shots, his fifth straight game with at least 30 saves.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
All times PST
Game 1: Vegas Golden Knights 4, Colorado Avalanche 2 | HIGHLIGHTS
Game 2: Vegas Golden Knights 3, Colorado Avalanche 1 | HIGHLIGHTS
Game 3: Vegas Golden Knight 5, Colorado Avalanche 3 | HIGHLIGHTS
Game 4: Tuesday, May 26, 6 p.m. | T-Mobile Arena | BUY TICKETS
Game 5 (if necessary): Thursday, May 28, 5 p.m. | Ball Arena
Game 6 (if necessary): Saturday, May 30, 5 p.m. | T-Mobile Arena | BUY TICKETS
Game 7 (if necessary): Monday, June 1, 5 p.m. | Ball Arena
VGK STATS OF THE KNIGHT
Tomas Hertl has registered seven points over his last six games (3G, 4A).
Hertl’s goal marked Vegas’ fifth third period go-ahead tally, the most of any team this postseason.
William Karlsson’s 76 playoff points (32G, 44A) are the second-most of any skater in Vegas club history.
Mitch Marner became just the fifth player in NHL history to collect at least 14 assists in the first 15 postseason games with a team.
Marner’s 14 assists are the fourth most in a single playoff run in franchise history.
Brett Howden tied Pavel Dorofeyev for the NHL lead in goals this postseason with 10.
Vegas completed a three-goal comeback for the first time in franchise playoff history.
The Golden Knights became the 10th team in league history to take a 3-0 series lead against a president’s trophy winner.
ATTENDANCE: 18,212
WHEN VGK WINS, YOU WIN!
Fans can receive six free boneless or traditional wings at any Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant location throughout the greater Vegas metro area with a $10+ qualifying pre-tax purchase of food and non-alcoholic beverages, available for two days after any 2025-2026 VGK Win.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Golden Knights look ahead to Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Tune into the Pregame Show on The Spot-Vegas 34 or KnightTime+ at 5:30 p.m. PT, then catch all the action on ESPN. Listen live on FOX Sports Las Vegas 94.7/1340 and Deportes Vegas 1460.
