3-0. That was the deficit the Vegas Golden Knights erased to beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final on May 24, 2026. The comeback came at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Vegas scored five consecutive goals after the intermission and now leads the best-of-7 series 3-0. Mark Stone returned from a five-game absence and scored 19 seconds into the second period on the power play, and Mitch Marner added two assists to move into the playoff scoring lead with 21 points.

The Avalanche opened Game 3 with a fast start. Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Jack Drury put Colorado up 3-0 in the first period, giving the visitors clear early control. A Pavel Dorofeyev effort late in the period was waved off after review when replays suggested the puck may have contacted a glove and the footage was inconclusive, a call that the Golden Knights and many around the rink saw as pivotal because it preserved Colorado's three-goal edge at the first intermission.

Stone returns and the momentum shift

Vegas answered immediately after the break. Captain Mark Stone, back in the lineup after missing five games with a lower-body injury, scored on the power play 19 seconds into the second period. The timing couldn't have been more dramatic. Stone had taken part in the optional skate earlier in the day and then produced the spark the Golden Knights needed when the puck dropped. After the game Stone said, "I don't like watching, ever. I want to play every game. It's great to be around the guys and now it's great to be back on the bench," offering a simple reflection on his return and its impact.

That goal began a run of five straight Vegas goals that erased the three-goal deficit and put the Avalanche on their heels. Coach John Tortorella and his players regrouped in the break and executed the adjustments the team needed to flip the game. Mitch Marner, who assisted on two of the comeback goals, moved into a playoff scoring lead with 21 points, a figure that underlines how much he has carried the Golden Knights through this postseason.

Mastheads

Historic milestone and what it means for Colorado

The victory marked the first time in Vegas postseason history the club won a game after trailing by three or more goals. That fact is more than a first for the franchise. It's the kind of momentum swing that can redraw a series in short order, especially given where the series now sits. Colorado faces a steep task. Only four teams in NHL history have overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-7 series: the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1975 New York Islanders, the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.

With Game 4 set for May 26, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena, the Avalanche must solve both the immediate scoring issues and the morale test that comes with trailing 3-0 in a conference final. Winning once after falling behind by three goals gave Vegas a new kind of confidence, but it doesn't change the underlying math: Colorado still needs four straight wins to advance.

For the Golden Knights the clearer path is to finish the job on home ice in Game 4 and complete a sweep.

Officials upheld the first-period no-goal after review, citing inconclusive footage about possible glove contact. That decision loomed over the first intermission and, in effect, created a two-goal swing that shaped how both teams approached the second period. Vegas made the most of the renewed parity, converting on special teams and getting contributions up and down the lineup as the game moved into the third period.

The sequence of events in Las Vegas will be parsed by coaches and players over the next 48 hours. For now the headline is clear: the Golden Knights mounted a five-goal run after intermission, led by Stone's immediate impact and Marner's playmaking, and leave their building with a 3-0 series lead that places Colorado on the brink of elimination.

Related Articles

Game 4 is May 26, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena; a Golden Knights win would complete the sweep.

This article was created with AI assistance.