Chandler Stephenson had a goal and an assist, Reilly Smith and Keegan Kolesar also scored, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 in Denver on Tuesday night.
Robin Lehner stopped 26 shots as Vegas ended a four-game skid and extended its winning streak over the Avalanche to five games, dating back to the 2021 playoffs.
Cale Makar scored a goal and Darcy Kuemper had 26 saves for Colorado.
The Knights wasted little time in getting on the board. They worked the puck around the Colorado zone and it went to McNabb at the top. His shot from the point went into a scrum of players before Stephenson flipped a backhand over Kuemper’s right pad at 2:00.
It was his third goal of the season.
The Avalanche went on the power play twice in the first period and didn’t score, but Vegas got a short-handed goal on the second penalty.
Colorado had the puck in the Knights zone when Smith stole the puck at the blueline. He skated down toward Kuemper, who made the initial save, but Smith stuffed in his own rebound to make it 2-0 at 9:37
It was his first goal of the season.
Things got heated late in the second period when Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson checked Kolesar in front of the benches. Nicolas Roy came to Kolesar’s defense by fighting Johnson.
Related: NHL power rankings – Colorado and Florida clinch, Bolts cool down
Johnson was assessed an interference major, a fighting major and game misconduct while Roy was hit with a minor for instigating, a fighting major and a game misconduct.
On the ensuing 4-on-4, Nathan MacKinnon found Makar above the right circle, and Makar snapped a shot by Lehner at 19:23. It was his first of the season.
Colorado started to press for the tying goal in the third. Tyson Jost was denied on a backhander and Lehner made saves on Logan O’Connor and Andre Burakovsky to keep Vegas in the lead.
Lehner made a big save on Gabriel Landeskog’s wraparound chance at 11:28.
Kuemper came off for an extra skater with 1:50 left and Kolesar iced it at 19:30, his first of the season.
–Field Level Media