Aarif Deen
The Colorado Avalanche continue their Western Conference Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 at Ball Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:15 pm MT and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
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Key Stories to Watch
- The Avalanche are trailing in a series for the first time this year. In Game 1, they had the higher expected goals and more scoring chances, but they couldn’t quite take control of the game at any point. Devon Toews said on Thursday that the goal is to play with the lead — something they haven’t done much of in recent games. Vegas jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Avs finally broke through on goalie Carter Hart.
- Cale Makar remains out for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final, head coach Jared Bednar confirmed after morning skate. It appears that Nick Blankenburg is going to rejoin the lineup in place of Jack Ahcan. That wasn’t confirmed, but Blankenburg came off the ice early, while Ahcan continued to take reps with the other healthy scratches.
- It appears the goaltending matchup isn’t going to change, as both Scott Wedgewood and Carter Hart are expected to start yet again. Hart was the better goalie in Game 1, making a handful of huge saves to keep the Avs from getting ahead early, or from mounting a late comeback in the third period.
- Mark Stone did not dress in Game 1 for the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s unlikely we’ll see any updates on his status until closer to gametime.
Projected Avalanche Lines (subject to change)
Gabriel Landeskog — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Artturi Lehkonen — Brock Nelson — Nic Roy
Ross Colton — Nazem Kadri — Valeri Nichushkin
Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor
Devon Toews — Sam Malinski
Brett Kulak — Brent Burns
Josh Manson — Nick Blankenburg
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood
Projected Golden Knights Lines (subject to change)
Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Pavel Dorofeyev
Brett Howden — William Karlsson — Mitch Marner
Brandon Saad —Tomas Hertl — Colton Sissons
Cole Smith — Nic Dowd — Keegan Kolesar
Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin — Rasmus Andersson
Ben Hutton — Dylan Coghlan
Carter Hart
Adin Hill
Projected Starters (subject to change)
- Expected: Scott Wedgewood (COL)
- Expected: Carter Hart (VGK)
Avalanche Injuries
- Cale Makar (upper body, day to day)
Golden Knights Injuries
- Mark Stone (lower body, day to day)
- Jeremy Lauzon (undisclosed)
How to Watch
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: 92.5 FM
Playoff Series Head-to-Head
- Game 1 vs Vegas Golden Knights (L, 4-2 — VGK leads series 1-0)
- Game 2 vs Vegas Golden Knights (May 22 at 6 pm MT)
- Game 3 at Vegas Golden Knights (May 24 at 6 pm MT)
- Game 4 at Vegas Golden Knights (May 26 at 7 pm MT)
- Game 5 vs Vegas Golden Knights (May 28 at 6 pm MT if necessary)
- Game 6 at Vegas Golden Knights (May 30 at 6 pm MT if necessary)
- Game 7 vs Vegas Golden Knights(June 1 at 6 pm MT if necessary)
Regular Season Head-to-Head
- Oct. 31 at Vegas Golden Knights (W, 4-2)
- Dec. 27 at Vegas Golden Knights (W, 6-5 SO)
- April 11 vs Vegas Golden Knights (L 3-2, OT)
Overall Playoff Results
- R1, G1 vs Los Angeles Kings (W, 2-1)
- R1, G2 vs Los Angeles Kings (W, 2-1 OT)
- R1, G3 at Los Angeles Kings (W, 4-2)
- R1, G4 at Los Angeles Kings (W, 5-1)
- R2, G1 vs Minnesota Wild (W, 9-6)
- R2, G2 vs Minnesota Wild (W, 5-2)
- R2, G3 at Minnesota Wild (L, 5-1)
- R2, G4 at Minnesota Wild (W, 5-2)
- R2, G5 vs Minnesota Wild (W, 4-3 OT)
- R3, G1 vs Vegas Golden Knights (L, 4-2)