One week ago, the Colorado Avalanche looked like they were cruising toward another deep playoff run. Now they’re heading home earlier than anyone expected after getting swept out of the Western Conference Final by the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Avalanche fell 2-1 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena, completing a four-game series win for Vegas that few people saw coming given how the playoffs started for Colorado.
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This was supposed to be the year Colorado pushed all the way. They opened the season on an incredible 31-2-7 run, rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and entered this series as one of the clear favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Instead, everything came apart in just over a week.
Vegas, meanwhile, found its rhythm at exactly the right time. A team that was fighting just to stay in the playoff picture late in the regular season ended up completely controlling the series and punching its ticket back to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Game
It was a cautious start by both teams but Vegas got on the board first as Mark Stone got behind the defense just under five minutes into the game. It was one of their first shots on goal and Mackenzie Blackwood settled into the net from that point forward. Still, Vegas took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission after a fairly balanced first period.
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In the second the Avalanche couldn’t get much going and fired only six shots on goal despite earning a power play and then controlling play for a little while after. Vegas also didn’t score and had a power play themselves. A 1-0 Vegas lead wasn’t insurmountable at that point after 40 minutes of play.
The third period was a continuation of the first but both teams weren’t generating much offense. Vegas got the crucial second goal, though from Coke Smith. From that point on they could lock down the game. Gabe Landeskog gave Colorado a glimmer of hope with three minutes to go and cut the lead but they never could find the equalizer. A sweep, a completely collapse and a final 2-1 loss.
A Series That Got Away From Colorado Fast
Game 4 summed up the series pretty well. Vegas struck early when Mark Stone got behind the defense and scored on a breakaway just a few minutes into the first period.
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Colorado goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, making his first start of the series, kept things from getting out of hand early. He made several big saves and was probably the reason the game stayed close as long as it did. This series was never about goaltending, though.
But offensively, Colorado just never really found its footing.
There were long stretches where the Avalanche couldn’t generate much of anything. At one point, they went nearly 30 minutes of game time with just one shot on goal. For a team that’s built around speed and scoring, that’s a tough stat to explain.
Injuries, Pressure, and a Quiet Offensive Struggle
It’s worth noting the Avalanche weren’t at full strength. Nathan MacKinnon played through an injury he picked up in Game 3, and Valeri Nichushkin was out after getting hurt earlier in the series. Other key players like Cale Makar and Artturi Lehkonen also weren’t at 100%.
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Still, even with that context, this was a tough series for Colorado’s offense overall.
They weren’t able to consistently break through Vegas’ defensive structure, which clogged up the middle of the ice and made it hard to create clean chances. That part isn’t surprising — Vegas has been doing that to teams all postseason — but the extent of the struggle definitely was.
And honestly, the overall effort in Game 4 will be hard to ignore. For a team with this much talent, it just wasn’t there often enough when it mattered.
A Painful Finish to a Promising Season
The Avalanche had built a reputation this season for being nearly unbeatable in certain situations. Before Game 2 of this series, they were 45-0 when leading after two periods. Before Game 3, they were 52-0 when leading by multiple goals.
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But those numbers didn’t matter once the series got away from them.
Game by game, Vegas chipped away at their confidence. Colorado had leads slip away, momentum disappear, and eventually just couldn’t recover.
Last year ended in heartbreak too, but this year feels different — more abrupt, more complete, and harder to explain.
Blow it all up. No one should feel safe after this historic embarrassment.
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