Tomas Hertl scored on a deflection 1:23 into overtime as the Vegas Golden Knights, behind a pair of goals by William Karlsson, rallied from a three-goal, third-period deficit to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Hertl, stationed in front of the crease, redirected Jack Eichel’s shot from the left point inside the right post for the game-winner. Hertl’s goal came on a power play after Colorado defenseman Josh Manson picked up a high-sticking penalty on Eichel with 11.2 seconds left in regulation.
Karlsson scored his 29th and 30th goals of the season, the second with 3:37 left in regulation to tie it 3-3. Ivan Barbashev also scored and Adin Hill finished with 21 saves for Vegas (44-28-8, 96 points), which moved within one point of third-place Los Angeles in the Pacific Division with two games remaining for both teams. Vegas also holds the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Cale Makar had a goal and an assist and Ross Colton and Mikko Rantanen also scored for Colorado (49-25-7, 105 points), which is one point behind the second-place Winnipeg Jets in the Central Division. Colorado has one game remaining, while Winnipeg has two.
Alexandar Georgiev finished with 26 saves for Colorado.
The Golden Knights were trailing 3-0 entering the third when Barbashev started the comeback at the 2:56 mark with a backhanded wraparound inside the right post for his 19th goal.
Karlsson then made it 3-2 at 6:35 with a power-play goal, snapping a wrist shot from the middle of the right circle past Georgiev’s blocker side, and then tied it with 3:37 to go when he broke in alone on the left wing and ripped another wrist shot into the top left corner, setting the stage for Hertl’s game-winner.
Colorado took a 1-0 lead at the 7:26 mark of the first when Colton fired a sharp-angle shot from near the left goal line that hit Hill’s blocker and then squeaked inside the near post for his 17th goal of the season.
Makar made it 2-0 midway through the period with his 21st goal. Nathan MacKinnon set up the score with a pass from the right corner through traffic to Makar alone in the high slot where he whipped a wrist shot past Hill’s glove side.
Vegas appeared to cut the lead to 2-1 early in the second period when Hertl deflected a Ben Hutton shot past Georgiev. But Colorado successfully challenged for goaltender interference by Hertl, who made contact with Georgiev on the edge of the crease just before the goal and the score was wiped off.
The Avalanche then increased their lead to 3-0 midway through the second when Rantanen, stationed alone by the left side of the net, redirected Manson’s point shot for his 41st goal.
–Field Level Media
