In a less-than-festive outing on Nevada Day, the Vegas Golden Knights fell 4-2 to a surging Colorado Avalanche team at the T-Mobile Arena, marking their first stumble of a six-game homestand. Martin Necas, fresh off signing an eight-year contract worth a cool $92 million, wasted no time flaunting his value with a goal only 41 seconds into the matchup. The Avalanche's offensive momentum continued as Brock Nelson slipped one past the Golden Knights' defenses on a breakaway, later followed by a power-play strike from Tomas Hertl that briefly put Vegas on the scoreboard.
An empty-netter from Cale Makar, who is currently on a six-game point streak, put the game out of reach for the home team. According to NHL.com, the attendance for the game was a robust 17,889, which suggests that while the Golden Knights' performance may not have been up to par, fan enthusiasm certainly hasn't waned.
The Golden Knights seemed to particularly feel the absence of their captain, Mark Stone, who's sidelined with an apparent wrist injury. Their struggle on the power play was evident as they managed to convert just one of six opportunities, a stark contrast to their more successful rates with Stone in the lineup. "They are far from the first team to struggle with Colorado’s aggressive penalty kill," as reported by AP News.
Brent Burns, Colorado's seasoned defenseman, moved past Bobby Orr into 11th place among defensemen with 916 career points, marking yet another milestone for the 40-year-old blueliner. On the other side of the ice, Golden Knights' coach Bruce Cassidy attempted to rally his team with a timeout early in the third period, evidently hoping to harness a 5-on-3 advantage; Hertl's goal followed shortly, though it only brought the game to a 4-on-4 situation. The Golden Knights have a chance to regroup before they host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche are staying busy. They head to San Jose next for a game today that could add to their winning streak. As the Golden Knights regroup, fans will be watching to see if they can bounce back and recover from their Nevada Day loss.
