David Zalubowski / AP
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Michael Amadio, center, is checked by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram, right, as Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen comes in to collect the puck in the second period Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in Denver.
Published Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 | 8:40 p.m.
Updated Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 | 9:58 p.m.
Colorado is playing tis best hockey at the right time. It was a stark reminder to the Golden Knights why the Avalanche are the defending Stanley Cup champions.
An early gaffe from goalie Adin Hill 14 seconds into the game put Vegas on its heels from the get-go, and the Golden Knights were shut out 3-0 at Ball Arena on Monday.
Hill, making his first start since Feb. 18 after missing two games with a minor injury and then sitting as the backup Saturday, made 31 saves, but his early turnover moments after the opening faceoff had Vegas (35-19-6) reeling early.
Hill went to clear the puck from behind the net, but passed it right to Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen and scored into an open net for an early 1-0 Colorado lead.
"Mistakes happen. It's a game of mistakes," defenseman Alec Martinez said. "Hillsy's trying to make a play. You're going to get scored on, especially against a team like that. Do I think it rattled us? No. For whatever reason, we just didn't play well tonight."
Rantanen scored twice to reach 40 goals on the season.
Despite the mistake, Hill played well and stopped the next 10 shots in the first period. It was an encouraging sign after Laurent Brossoit played inspired hockey in his last three starts, including a 41-save effort in the 3-2 shootout loss to Dallas this past weekend.
But the injuries continue to pile up at the goaltending position with Brossoit now day-to-day with a lower-body injury. His status for Wednesday against Carolina is up in the air.
Michael Hutchinson was recalled from AHL Henderson and served as the backup.
While Hill tried his best, those in front of him struggled to generate anything dangerous in the final 30 minutes.
"I thought we were a little stagnant," Martinez said. We didn't have enough movement."
The Golden Knights had just five high-danger chances through the first two periods, and once Colorado settled in defensively, Vegas couldn't generate anything positive. Colorado outshot Vegas 9-1 in the final 11 minutes of the second period, including Rantanen's second goal at 16:20.
Nathan MacKinnon scored an empty-net goal for the 3-0 final.
"They checked us really well," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "I thought the difference in the game for us, in the o-zone, we got pushed off pucks pretty much all night. We generated some slot looks, but we didn't get the second chance. They recovered well after that."
Newly acquired forward Ivan Barbashev was a minus-1 in 16:40 in his Golden Knights debut. Barbashev, who was on first-line left wing with Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault, was acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Sunday in exchange for prospect forward Zach Dean.
It's not fair to evaluate Barbashev's play after one game considering no Vegas forward played well. He showed a willingness to play physically and got loose in front of the net a couple of times, but to no avail.
This was the Golden Knights' first regulation loss post-All-Star break and ended their nine-game point streak (6-0-3).
Now, they're about to enter a stretch in March that features 15 games in 31 days as the top team in the Western Conference and a two-point lead — with a game in hand — over the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division.
First up in the gauntlet is the Carolina Hurricanes, the leaders of the Metropolitan Division.
"A team like Carolina is going to play similar," Cassidy said. "They're going to be in your face. They close quick. If you want to score goals in this league, you need to separate and execute at a high level. Tonight, we did not do that. That was very evident."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
