3 Takeaways from the Avalanche’s 5-3 Game 3 Loss to the Golden Knights

After losing the first two games of this series against the Vegas Golden Knights on home ice, things certainly felt tumultuous for the Colorado Avalanche. All-world defenseman Cale Makar missed both games, leading to some rather cryptic comments from head coach Jared Bednar.

The Avalanche jumped all over the Golden Knights early, but it wasn’t enough. They melted down over the course of the next two periods, falling once again to the underdog Golden Knights 5-3 and dropped their third straight to find themselves on the brink of elimination.

One Period is Not Good Enough

Coming into this series, there were a few things the Avalanche would have to avoid in order to come out victorious. As it turns out, there was another one that hadn’t really been an Avalanche issue before: playing 60 minutes of good hockey.

The Avalanche came out like a house of fire in Game 3, getting out to a 3-0 lead in the first 13:15 of the contest. They looked faster and hungrier than the Golden Knights, something that hadn’t been seen previously in this series.

But over the remaining 40 minutes of play, they looked distant and lost. Mark Stone’s power play goal just 0:19 into the second period seemed to swing the momentum permanently. By the 12:46 mark of the second period, the deficit had been erased and the momentum evaporated. Vegas blocked more aggressively, played more physically, and just seemed to want it more.

Sam Malinski’s Fall This Series

There are a lot of failures to talk about in this series and we will get to them below. But one name that stands out, in particular, is Sam Malinski. The 27-year-old defender had been a revelation this season, stepping into a top-four role and eventually making Sam Girard expendable.

Malinski was solid, if unspectacular, against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round and was quite good against the Minnesota Wild before an upper-body injury kept him out for two games in that series. Perhaps he hasn’t really recovered from that injury because he’s looked like a different player in this series.

Malinski was a cumulative minus-three in the first two games, something visibly off about his game. Nerves? Injuries? Maybe it was just the lack of Makar in the lineup that had an impact on everyone. In any case, Malinski saw a playoff-low 12:57 in Game 3 and finished as a minus in his fourth consecutive game.

The Disappearance of Big Pieces

Malinski hasn’t been good but there are several key names who have been practically invisible this series. Where do we start? Martin Necas had an assist in Game 3, his first point of the series and he has just one goal in these playoffs.  Artturi Lehkonen has zero points in his last five games. Valeri Nichushkin has one goal (and point) since Game 2 of the Wild series.

Perhaps the most stern pointing-to belongs to Brock Nelson. A major acquisition at last season’s deadline, Nelson had 33 goals in the regular season and earned a Selke Trophy nomination as one of the league’s premier defensive forwards.

In the playoffs, he has been a non-factor. He scored in Game 4 of the Wild series but has been invisible in the Western Conference Final. He was an ugly minus-five through the first two games of the series and has yet to contribute a point. Guys like Keegan Kolesar, Brett Howden, and William Karlsson continue to have an impact for Vegas while Colorado’s middle six has evaporated.

Backs Against the Wall

No team in conference final history has erased a 3-0 deficit before. The Avalanche are clearly banged up even if Makar did return, and now Nathan MacKinnon is dealing with a leg injury after blocking a shot in Game 3.

The Avalanche haven’t had to face any real adversity in these playoffs until now. It is more than likely too little, too late even if they find a way to win Game 4 and bring the series back to Colorado. We are more than likely headed toward an offseason filled with “what went wrong?”