Golden Knights Erase Three Goal Deficit to Defeat Avalanche

The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Thursday night. The Golden Knights improved to 2-4 in the preseason with Thursday’s win.

Thursday was the dress rehearsal, possibly the same lineup that will take the ice on Tuesday when the banner gets raised. The Golden Knights were without William Karlsson, Zach Whitecloud, and Alec Martinez. There is a good chance that Martinez and Karlsson will play in the opener. Whitecloud has been labeled week-to-week after having successful surgery for an upper-body injury.

Logan Thompson was not at his best early. Nathan MacKinnon beat him cleanly on a one-timer. Thompson also gave up a rebound to a high-danger area that led to an Avalanche goal. The 26-year-old locked it down after giving up three goals and was good enough to earn the win.

Pavel Dorofeyev and Paul Cotter are competing for a roster spot and both scored goals in Thursday’s game.

Keegan Kolesar had a solid game. Coach Bruce Cassidy used him frequently on the penalty kill. Kolesar did a good job finishing checks and factoring in the outcome of the game.

The Golden Knights came alive in the third period to erase the three-goal deficit. Cotter scored the go-ahead goal with just over one minute remaining in the third period.

This is a veteran roster that knows what it takes to win in the toughest of games and showed it tonight. It is not easy going from the pressure of playing in the Stanley Cup Final to giving a winning effort in the preseason.

Expect another gear from the Golden Knights after the banner gets raised. You can also expect another gear from their opponents who will be giving their best to knock off last year’s champion for 82 straight games.