Avalanche HC Jared Bednar’s honest take on Game 3 collapse vs. Golden Knights

The Colorado Avalanche appeared to regain momentum early in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, but another collapse against the Vegas Golden Knights left Colorado one loss away from elimination after a 5-3 defeat Sunday at T-Mobile Arena. The Avalanche now trail the best-of-seven series 3-0 despite carrying a 3-0 advantage after the opening period.

Colorado produced the fast start it desperately needed. Gabriel Landeskog scored his fifth playoff goal just 3:21 into the game after capitalizing on a rebound created by Devon Toews. At 7:03 of the first period, Nazem Kadri extended the lead to 2-0 with his third postseason goal off a rush started by Josh Manson’s stretch pass and Martin Necas’ setup. The Avalanche then pushed the advantage to 3-0 at 13:15 when Jack Drury converted a shorthanded breakaway goal. Colorado also outshot Vegas 16-7 in the first period.

The Golden Knights responded immediately in the second. Captain Mark Stone, returning after missing time with a lower-body injury suffered against the Anaheim Ducks on May 8, scored on the power play only 19 seconds into the period. William Karlsson cut the deficit to one at 4:05 before Keegan Kolesar tied the game 3-3 midway through the period for his first point and first goal of the postseason after previously going 37 playoff games without scoring.

The Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar pointed directly to the second period when discussing the turnaround.

“They just got more competitive and we we didn’t stay with that intensity for me for nine minutes,” said Bednar. “A little bit of communication and some talk and we just didn’t dig in and match their intensity at the start of the second quick enough. For me it was nine minutes, those two goals, pretty much an onslaught.

“After they scored the second goal, we had the TV timeout, things kind of started to change a little bit for us. We got the power play, we got a couple of Nelson chances in the rush and more zone time, and then [they] just chipped away at that one goal lead and ended up winning the hockey game.”

"They just got more competitive and we didn't stay with that intensity…"

– Jared Bednar pic.twitter.com/7iZQcCDZyv

— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) May 25, 2026

Colorado also dealt with mounting injury concerns. Cale Makar returned after missing the first two games of the series and logged a team-high 28:34 with six blocked shots, though he did not record a point. Nathan MacKinnon, who entered the postseason with 15 playoff points after leading the NHL with 53 regular-season goals, suffered a right knee injury after blocking a shot in the second period and was limited afterward. Val Nichushkin also missed the third period with an undisclosed injury.

Vegas completed the comeback in the third when Tomas Hertl scored the go-ahead goal at 8:21 before Brett Howden added an empty-netter for his 10th playoff goal. Carter Hart finished with 32 saves after allowing three first-period goals, while the Golden Knights improved on a postseason trend that has now included comeback wins in consecutive games against Colorado.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for the Avalanche heading into Tuesday’s Game 4 in Vegas — it’s win or go home.

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