The Colorado Avalanche face a historical deficit after dropping two straight home games to the Vegas Golden Knights. The team suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss at the Ball Arena.

The Avalanche squad must now make its way to Las Vegas and defy history. The team faces the task of staging a comeback that almost no team in NHL history has accomplished.

The only NHL team to recover from a 0-2 home deficit at this stage was the 1945 Detroit Red Wings. However, the challenge is even steeper than it seems, as the result was clinched before the conference finals era.

The NHL renamed its penultimate round of the Stanley Cup playoffs as the conference finals in the 1981-82 campaign.

No team in the modern conference era has ever made a comeback after going 0-2 down at home in the playoffs. Colorado must now rewrite history to keep its season afloat.

As for the game, the Avalanche went 1-0 up after the first period. After much back and forth, Vegas center Jack Eichel equalized nine minutes into the third period.

The Golden Knights continued their rally, as forward Ivan Barbashev fired in another two goals to take the game away from their hosts.

Despite outshooting their opponents 30 to 25, the Avalanche converted just once, which was their opening goal.

Meanwhile, Vegas was sharp and aggressive throughout, out-hitting Colorado 32-28. Goaltender Carter Hart delivered another remarkable performance, making 29 saves.

On the other hand, Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon still hasn't scored in this series, while defensive talisman Cale Makar has yet to recover from an upper-body injury. Additionally, forward Martin Necas has yet to replicate his regular-season form, during which he posted 100 points.

The last two games from Colorado have been a far cry from their previous performances.

How the Avalanche Got Here

Colorado arrived in the playoffs as the Western Conference’s top seed for a reason. During a remarkable postseason run, they swept the Kings in round one and then brushed Minnesota aside 4-1 in round two.

Squad leaders MacKinnon, Kadri, Landeskog, and Necas were consistently contributing in each game. However, the team hasn't shown up against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Moreover, they are setting some unwanted precedents.

Until Thursday, the Avalanche boasted a 45-0 record when leading after two periods in the regular season and playoffs combined. Coupled with that, they had a 5-0 record in the playoffs upon scoring first.

Colorado's chances of making a comeback face another hurdle. Since 1982, teams that went 2-0 up on the road in the conference finals have a 13-0 series record.

The Avalanche must gather every ounce of resolve to save their season on Monday.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Sijo Paul