Round 3 Game 2 Preview: Colorado aims to even the series

May 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Cole Smith (22) controls the puck under pressure from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (42) in the third period in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J.

Downing-Imagn Images After a frustrating Game 1 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Colorado Avalanche are back in action again tonight, as they look to bounce back and even this series up in Game 2. Colorado Avalanche Game 1 was, in a word, frustrating for Colorado. Yes, Vegas is a good hockey team and they were incredibly opportunistic with their goals, but the Avs made it super easy for them to actually benefit from those opportunities, as they made a lot of mistakes defensively in that game, giving the Golden Knights maybe a bit of an easier time than they would’ve had otherwise.

Tonight, they’ll have to clean up those defensive mistakes to even this series. There’s no greater storyline for Colorado than what’s the status of Cale Makar. He was a participant at morning skate, which was fostering some optimism that he could return to the lineup tonight but the team indicated he is still out tonight.

In net it still looks to be Scott Wedgewood despite the loss. Projected Lineup Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Gabriel Landeskog Valeri Nichushkin – Brock Nelson – Martin Necas Ross Colton – Nazem Kadri – Nic Roy Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Logan O’Connor Devon Toews – Sam Malinski Brett Kulak – Brent Burns Jack Achan – Josh Manson Scott Wedgewood Mackenzie Blackwood Vegas Golden Knights As previously mentioned, the Golden Knights were very opportunistic in Game 1, and capitalized on the opportunities they got throughout the game. They were as advertised in this game, being strong defensively and overall frustrating to play against.