Vegas One Win Away from Stanley Cup Final After Comeback from 3-0 Down Against Colorado
On the night of May 26, the Vegas Golden Knights rallied to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 in Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference Final, overcoming a 3-0 deficit to take a 3-0 series lead.
Vegas is one win away from the Stanley Cup Final after a stunning comeback from 3-0 down against Colorado.
Main Event
On the night of May 26, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the Vegas Golden Knights hosted the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final. The home team pulled off a dramatic 5-3 victory despite trailing 3-0 after the first period. This result extended Vegas's series lead to 3-0, leaving John Tortorella's team just one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.
For the Golden Knights, this comeback was historic: for the first time in the franchise's nine-year existence, the club won a playoff game after trailing by three or more goals. Previously, in 19 such situations in the postseason and 139 in the regular season, Vegas had always lost. Colorado, meanwhile, found itself in a 3-0 series hole for the first time in its history as the home team.
Details and Statistics
The first period belonged entirely to the visitors. Just three minutes in, Gabriel Landeskog opened the scoring by burying a rebound off a shot from Devon Toews, with Nathan MacKinnon also picking up an assist. Four minutes later, Nazem Kadri doubled Colorado's lead, and at the 13-minute mark, Jack Drury made it 3-0 while shorthanded. Over the first 20 minutes, the hosts managed just 7 shots on goal compared to 17 for the Avalanche. Pavel Dorofeyev appeared to score late in the period, but the goal was waved off after a video review for a hand pass.
The second period proved to be the turning point. Vegas started with 1:20 of power-play time, and Mark Stone capitalized just 19 seconds in, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Mitch Marner picked up the primary assist, bringing his playoff total to 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists), the best in the league. At the 5-minute mark, William Karlsson scored to make it 3-2, and at 13:00, Keegan Kolesar tied the game at 3-3. For Kolesar, it was his first playoff goal since 2023, ending a 37-game drought.
Colorado's third goal came at a cost: Nathan MacKinnon left the ice with a knee injury after blocking a shot from Shea Theodore. Although the Avalanche superstar returned for the third period, he was visibly limited in his movement. At the 9-minute mark of the third period, Tomas Hertl scored the game-winner, skating past a defender and beating Scott Wedgewood with a shot to the near post to make it 4-3. Brett Howden sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute, making it 5-3. Carter Hart stopped 32 of 35 shots, including all 19 he faced in the second and third periods.
Context and Significance
This victory was Vegas's sixth straight in the current playoffs, and the team is on an incredible run. The Golden Knights became just the 50th team in NHL history to take a 3-0 lead in a conference final series. Notably, all previous 49 teams went on to win the series, with 47 of them doing so in six games or fewer.
Special recognition goes to Vegas head coach John Tortorella. He became the first coach in league history to twice lead a team to a 3-0 series lead against a Presidents' Trophy winner (the team with the best regular-season record). In 2019, while coaching Columbus, Tortorella achieved the same feat in the first round against Tampa Bay. After the game, an emotional Tortorella did not hide his pride in his players: "We showed some balls in this game. Our guys aren't afraid to make mistakes, and we try to emphasize that."
As for Russian players, Vegas's Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Dorofeyev, as well as Colorado's Valeri Nichushkin, did not register any points in Game 3. However, Barbashev continues to lead the NHL in hits during the playoffs with 83. For Colorado, the loss was not only a blow to their pride but also a serious roster crisis. In addition to MacKinnon's injury, Nichushkin left the game midway through.
What's Next
Game 4 of the series took place on the night of May 27 (Moscow time), with Vegas having a chance to sweep the series 4-0 and advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Ahead of Game 4, Colorado made a drastic change: Mackenzie Blackwood replaced Scott Wedgewood in goal after Wedgewood allowed five goals in the previous game. The Avalanche coaching staff also confirmed that Nathan MacKinnon, despite the painful injury, would play in Game 4.
If Vegas wins, the team will reach the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in its nine-year history (previously in 2018 and 2023) and face the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between Montreal and Carolina. If Colorado manages to win Game 4, Game 5 will take place on the night of May 29 in Denver. However, historical data shows that teams winning the first three games of a best-of-seven series have gone on to win the series 100% of the time.
— Editorial Team
