Golden Knights-Avalanche Game 3 takeaways, grades, early look at Game 4Ryan S. ClarkMay 24, 2026, 11:30 PM ETClose
- Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.
Would Game 3 of the Western Conference finals be the first sign of resistance, or the next step in a coronation?
It turned out to be the latter, as the Vegas Golden Knights came back from a three-goal deficit in a 5-3 win Sunday to take a 3-0 series lead over the Colorado Avalanche.
Vegas entered Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead because it scored quick goals and absorbed and sustained pressure despite not having a massive amount of puck possession. All of those items were once again a factor in Game 3.
Here’s a look at what happened, what it all means, who did what and the big questions for each team ahead of Game 4.
Colorado Avalanche
Grade: C-
There were a few lineup changes from Game 2 to Game 3 for Colorado. Getting Cale Makar back into the lineup was the first, and most notable.
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Jared Bednar also switched up his lines a bit. Artturi Lehkonen moved up to the top line, while Nazem Kadri moved to the second line with Martin Necas, who had been on the top line. Nicolas Roy centered the third line with Ross Colton and Valeri Nichushkin. Those changes appeared to work at first, as the Avs buuilt a 3-0 first-period lead. It created the belief — at least for an intermission — that Colorado may have made a step forward.
Then the second period began, and the Avs took a few steps backward, with Mark Stone scoring 19 seconds into the second and William Karlsson scoring less than four minutes later. It was the third straight game in which the Golden Knights scored a pair of goals within five minutes. Keegan Kolesar then scored the game-tying goal, followed by Nathan MacKinnon heading to the dressing room after blocking a puck. MacKinnon would return within the first four minutes of the third. He skated for a shift, but struggled to find his trademark pace; he came back later in the period when the Avs would go on the power play.
Before that power play, Vegas’ Tomas Hertl had scored the fourth unanswered goal. It’s what made getting that opportunity so crucial. But, it became another example of a power play that, despite the first-period goal, has had troubles getting in position and/or launching a shot this postseason. Throw in the fact the Avs went more than 10 minutes without recording a shot on goal, and that pretty much sums up how the Avs went from being ready to force a Game 5 to being a loss away from being swept.
Vegas Golden Knights
Grade: B+
The Golden Knights have come back from down a goal quite a few times this postseason. But rallying from a three-goal deficit to tie the game entering the third period is something altogether different.
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It started with Mark Stone, who was playing in his first game of the conference finals and scored a power-play goal. That made up for the shorthanded goal they allowed in the first period, in addition to the frustration they faced in Game 2 when they went 0-for-4 on the extra-skater advantage.
Karlsson then scored his first of the postseason, with Mitch Marner notching his second assist of the night; another reminder that the Golden Knights have been able to rely on their stars throughout the playoffs. Yet it was the game-tying goal by Kolesar that demonstrated the Golden Knights’ depth; this series began with Dylan Coghlan and Nic Dowd providing secondary scoring in the Game 1 win.
Sure, scoring four straight goals will grab the most attention. But there were other details in this one — such as how Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, Cole Smith, Kolesar and Stone each finished with more than three hits out of Vegas’ 34 total hits. And to think, Vegas pulled this off and had a shot share of only 41.82%.
Players to watch in Game 4
Scott Wedgewood
G, Avalanche
The Avalanche have several candidates for this spot, ahead of what could be a season-ending game. So why Wedgwood? Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was vocal about the goals Wedgewood allowed in Game 2. There’s a possibility he could feel the same way in the wake of Game 3. Especially when the Avalanche allowed 22 shots on goal — the fewest amount Wedgewood has faced in this series.
Bednar shuffled his lines ahead of Game 3 looking for a different result. Could he do the same for his goaltenders — going to Mackenzie Blackwood — or does he stick with Wedgewood?
Mark Stone
RW, Golden Knights
It’d been something of a talking point throughout the series: What would the Golden Knights look like if, and when, Stone returned to the lineup?
The answer went beyond their captain scoring a goal and finishing with a two-point evening. He was part of the defensive effort in which the Golden Knights limited the Avalanche to seven shots after they launched 28 through the first two periods. Having a two-way presence like Stone, who also had four hits, provides the Golden Knights with another option on both ends of the ice, in a series that has seen them rely on their entire roster.
Big questions for Game 4
How healthy is Nathan MacKinnon — and what role will he play in Game 4?
MacKinnon was able to come back in the third period, but he looked nothing like the player who is one of the most dangerous on the planet. He played fewer than four minutes in the third period — a drastic change for MacKinnon, who is known for logging heavy minutes in the final frame of regulation whenever the Avs are in need of a goal.
Are there other questions that can be asked about what needs to be done in order to avoid being swept after finishing with the NHL’s best record? Absolutely. But it comes with the reality that MacKinnon’s presence will play the biggest role in that effort — especially when the Avs are having issues getting goals from other players in their lineup.
Will the Knights’ familiar strategy pay off and close out this series?
Place yourself in the Avalanche’s position. It seems like the best strategy going into Game 4 is to control the puck as much as possible, limit scoring chances on the other end and do what you can to build a lead that appears to be secure.
At the same time, that also plays into what makes the Golden Knights such a problem. They’ve continued to show this postseason that they can play without the puck for long stretches, before scoring back-to-back goals in a manner that can upend a game. Given that’s how they’ve built a 3-0 lead in this series, those details could see them pull off a sweep and return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning it all in 2023.
