A 2-0 road start, then a hard lesson: The Golden Knights’ warning before Game 3

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Winning the first two games on the road, the Golden Knights returned home owning what seemed like complete control of their NHL playoffs series.

Against Colorado in 2026?

Try Dallas in 2024.

Vegas, which won the Stanley Cup less than a year earlier, instead returned home two seasons ago and lost Games 3 and 4 of their first-round series and eventually were eliminated in seven games.

It's a memory that could help the players who were on that Golden Knights team fully appreciate that while opening the Western Conference Final by beating the Avalanche twice on the road is impressive, their work is far from done.

“It's good to have that experience,” Vegas center William Karlsson said Saturday. “Obviously, that was a huge letdown after coming home with two wins on the road, so definitely learn from that.”

The Golden Knights will either take a major step toward their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine years when they host the Avalanche in Game 3 on Sunday night, or Colorado will give itself a realistic chance to at least make it a competitive series.

Avalanche forward Nicolas Roy was on that Golden Knights team that lost the 2-0 lead to the Stars.

“In these series, you never know,” Roy said. "If you have a great effort next game and you win it, then obviously shift the momentum. We believe in this group. You look at the video, think you can do better and we’ll be ready for the next game.”

This isn't quite the same Golden Knights team that played two years ago. Eight of the 19 players who took the ice in Friday night's 3-1 victory weren't on the 2023-24 roster.

But even those eight players have followed the leads this postseason of those who have been longtime stalwarts. The entire group is playing with confidence and poise and making nearly all the big plays.

That happened in Game 2 when the Avalanche entered the third period up 1-0 and spotless in all 45 prior times in the regular season and playoffs when taking a lead into the final 20 minutes. But then Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev — who played on the 2023 Cup team and the 2024 one that lost to Dallas — combined to score three goals to stun Colorado.

Defenseman Noah Hanifin also was on the '24 club, joining the team March 6 of that year after being dealt from Calgary.

“It’s big, obviously, getting two on the road, but it’s far from over and we know that,” Hanifin said. “It’s a long series. They’re a great team over there, and we got to stay even keeled. We got to come home and really take advantage of this home ice and dig in. Game 3’s going to be huge.”

Should the Golden Knights take a 3-0 lead, the Avalanche would attempt to become just the fifth team in NHL history to rally from such a deficit and win a series. Los Angeles in 2014 was the most recent team to accomplish that in eliminating San Jose in their first-round series.

The numbers also heavily favor Vegas even with a 2-0 lead. Teams that opened a conference final or league semifinals series by taking the first two on the road are 20-1, the 1945 Detroit Red Wings the exception.

That's a kind of history Vegas has no interest in making.

“We’re going to have to be better each and every game,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. “They’re going to be better.”

Injured Mark Stone skates again

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, out since a lower-body injury in Game 3 of the second-round series at Anaheim, showed few if any limitations while taking part in an optional skate Saturday. He also skated when the team was in Denver.

Though the Golden Knights have won five of six games without Stone, his presence would be a major boost should he return to the lineup. His 28 goals and 73 points in the regular season were Stone's highest in seven years, and he produced three goals and four assists in nine playoff games this year.

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AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Centennial, Colorado, contributed to this report.