Avalanche in Trouble After Game 3 Collapse: MacKinnon Injury Update

The Vegas Golden Knights are now one win away from the Stanley Cup Final after a stunning 5-3 comeback victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final. When asked what went wrong, head coach Jared Bednar responded, “Everything.” He added, “We didn’t dig in and match their intensity at the start of the second quick enough.”

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Already up 2-0 in the series, Vegas erased a 3-0 first-period deficit in Game 3—one that could have unraveled a less experienced group. Instead, they responded with five unanswered goals to put the Presidents Trophy Winners on the brink.

Vegas was composed and chipped away at the lead. “We’ve been there,” said Mark Stone after the game. He added that they unfortunately knew all too well what it felt like to be down, so they know how to climb back. This is a group that struggled for much of the regular season and had to find ways to win. They’re tested now, and despite a disallowed goal that threw them off early, they gathered themselves, didn’t change their approach, and ramped up the intensity.

That resilience has defined Vegas throughout the postseason, and it’s now put them firmly in control of the series.

Nathan MacKinnon Injury Update

For Colorado, the loss was compounded by a potentially devastating blow to Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche superstar suffered a right leg injury after blocking a slap shot in the second period. Though he briefly returned, MacKinnon was clearly limited—reduced to short, ineffective shifts and unable to generate his usual explosive speed.

His body language told the story. A player known for his intensity and for wearing his heart on his sleeve, he was clearly frustrated. He looked visibly annoyed by his own limitations and the mistakes of his teammates. While teammates praised his determination—“you’d have to kill him to get him off the ice,” said goaltender Scott Wedgewood—the reality is Colorado may now be without its driving force at the most critical moment.

The Avalanche, once dominant, suddenly looks shaken—both mentally and physically. Meanwhile, Vegas has seized all momentum, combining experience, structure, and belief that has been given to them by a new head coach who is pushing all the right buttons.

With a must-win Game 4 now determining the fate of the Avalanche, the Golden Knights have a chance to complete the sweep. It could be one of the bigger NHL playoff upsets in some time. Some will say that Cale Makar being out and MacKinnon now being hurt was Colorado’s undoing. Credit should go to Veags, however. They’ve just been the better team and they’ve taken advantage of the opportunities presented.

As Jesse Granger of The Athletic writes, “This Golden Knights team has a knack for doing things they shouldn’t. After firing their coach with only eight games left in the regular season, and scratching and clawing their way into a playoff spot in a historically weak Pacific Division, they shouldn’t be up 3-0 on the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avs, only a win away from another trip to the Stanley Cup Final. And yet, they are.”

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