Knights Try to Tie Series with Avs at Home in Game 4

The Vegas Golden Knights hope to build on a Game 3 comeback win and tie up this West Division second-round playoff series at 2-2 on Sunday when they host the Colorado Avalanche as small home favorites in Game 4. The Golden Knights scored two goals within 45 seconds of each other in the third period to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory and cut the series deficit to 2-1 by beating the Avalanche for the first time in four meetings.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Early money has come in on Vegas, with backers believing in the home team to even this series. The Golden Knights have outplayed their opponent for most of the last two games despite splitting them and could easily be leading 2-1 at this point instead of trailing. That said, it will be intriguing to see how Colorado handles its first loss in 12 games – and first of the postseason – since this team has been viewed by many as the overwhelming favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Game 3 could plant some seeds of doubt into the minds of the Avalanche players, or it could just be a blip on the radar since they were going to lose a game sooner or later. Vegas has a ton of confidence now though, which cannot be underestimated, especially in playing in front of another packed house at T-Mobile Arena.

Colorado News & Notes

Colorado was minutes away from taking a commanding 3-0 lead in this series and instead looks to head back home for Game 5 with a 3-1 advantage. The Avalanche could not have gotten much more from goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who made 40 saves on 43 shots, as the Golden Knights outshot them by a wide margin for the second consecutive game.

They continue to be lethal on the power play as well, with Mikko Rantanen scoring a man-up goal for the second straight game after netting the game-Sportsbook in overtime of Game 2 at home last Wednesday. Colorado must continue to play under control and work the Vegas players into the penalty box because that has been the key in the team’s wins.

Vegas News & Notes

The Golden Knights will have enforcer Ryan Reaves back for Game 4, and likewise they must do their best to keep him from becoming too much of a factor in a negative way. Their best players stepped up in the Game 3 victory, with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault scoring their first two goals before leading scorer Max Pacioretty came through with the game-Sportsbook on a deflection from defenseman Nick Holden.

Vegas definitely has the depth to wear down the opposition, even one this talented, as that has always been one of the team’s top strengths. But the Golden Knights simply cannot be baited into taking dumb penalties, and they can even this series by staying out of the box.