Jack Dempsey / Associated Press
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) scores a goal against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) in the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Denver.
Sunday, May 30, 2021 | 9:45 p.m.
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When you lose by six goals, and when you surrender four goals alone in one period, there are plenty of examples of being outplayed.
Take the fifth goal the Golden Knights allowed Sunday night to Colorado in a 7-1 defeat to open the second round playoff series.
Nothing summed up the level of domination the Avalanche lorded over the Golden Knights than this play with 5:37 to go in the second period: Gabriel Landeskog was left wide open near the Golden Knights net, took the power-play feed from Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon, and easily scored uncontested.
The Avalanche trio combined for five goals and eight points, and Vegas allowed the most goals in the franchise’s four-year playoff history to fall behind 1-0 in the best-of-seven-game series.
“We didn’t play well,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “We just can’t get down like that. We’ll flush this one. We’ll see what we did wrong.”
MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog form arguably the best line in the NHL, and wasted no time in giving the Avalanche the lead for good when Rantanen scored less than five minutes into the game. Landeskog also tallied in the initial period for a two-goal advantage.
MacKinnon got going in Colorado’s four-goal second period in showing why he’s one of the game’s superstars and a future Hall of Famer. On one goal he skated around the Golden Knights like they were traffic cones to score on a breakaway.
MacKinnon and Landeskog each had two goals and an assist, and Rantanen had a goal and an assist.
William Karlsson scored on a redirect in the second period for the Golden Knight, and yet they still trailed 6-1 after two periods.
“We gave their skill just a little bit too much respect, a little too much room and obviously good players are going to make plays in that space,” said defenseman Nick Holden, who with Shea Theodore defended the line the most. “I think that’s something that we’ll focus on a little bit more.”
The game, for all intents and purposes, was over going into the third and with Vegas down five goals. But things got ugly in the final 20 minutes.
Back in the second period, Colorado’s Ryan Graves put a high hit on Vegas’ Mattias Janmark that left him injured and left Graves with a two-minute minor for interference.
DeBoer called it a “dirty hit” and the Golden Knights took action in the third. With 11:56 left in the game, Ryan Reaves slammed Graves to the ice and appeared to drop his knee on the back of Graves’ head. A brawl ensued, and the teams were assessed 59 combined penalty minutes including four misconducts.
Reaves was given a match penalty for intent to injure, meaning we likely won’t see him for awhile. A match penalty carries an ejection and an automatic suspension pending a hearing with the commissioner. It was Reaves’ second match penalty in two years after one in Game 7 of the second round against the Canucks last year, and he was suspended one game for that.
The Avalanche took exception.
“Reaves is on a mission to hurt somebody in the third and that’s what he does,” said Landeskog, the Avalanche captain. “I’m sure the league will take a look at it.”
DeBoer declined to respond to Landeskog’s comment and said he hasn’t looked at tape regarding the match penalty. He pointed to the Janmark injury and the emotion that spurred. He did not provide an update on Janmark’s status after the game.
It’s been a long time since the Golden Knights were bullied quite like that, and several of the beatdowns Vegas has suffered in its history have come against the Avalanche. It was against Colorado that Vegas last lost by more than three goals (a 5-1 loss on March 25) and gave up seven in a game (a 7-2 loss on Dec. 23, 2019).
The Golden Knights have only given up seven goals six times in their history, and just twice since the inaugural year — both to the Avalanche.
“Whether you lose 2-1 or 7-1, you can debate the meaning of whether you lose badly or not badly,” DeBoer said. “The bottom line was we were not good enough tonight. They were very good.”
DeBoer raised eyebrows before the game by turning to Robin Lehner to start in goal after Marc-Andre Fleury started all seven games in the first-round victory over the Wild. DeBoer said that was precisely why he went with Lehner — because Fleury had played seven games in 14 days. With two days off before Game 2 on Wednesday, he wanted Fleury as sharp as possible
“It was the perfect opportunity in our minds to use our other starter,” DeBoer said. “That’s been a strength of ours all year and to make sure Robin got in the game and stayed sharp because who knows when we’re going to need him.
“There was a lot of rationale for it. I wouldn’t change the decision. The game tonight wasn’t about Robin Lehner.”
Indeed, it was about the Golden Knights and their inability to stop some of the best players in the world. Of course doing that is far easier said than done, but even as they combined for eight points on Sunday, the Golden Knights did hold them to 12 total points in the regular season.
If MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog are going to play like that, it’s going to be a short series. They had their way with the Golden Knights, as did defenseman Cale Makar with a goal and three assists.
Colorado’s best players showed up in Game 1. It will be crucial for the Golden Knights to make sure they don’t in Game 2 at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
