Hertl’s late winner caps Golden Knights’ wild 5-3 rally, giving them a 3-0 series lead on Avalanche

LAS VEGAS (AP) — There are a number of adjectives that could be applied to how the Golden Knights have found various ways to win in the regular season and playoffs.

Vegas coach John Tortorella had his own description.

“This is a game where we showed some balls,” the man known as Torts said after the Golden Knights' latest Houdini act.

Tomas Hertl weaved his way toward the slot and broke a tie at 8:21 of the third period as the Golden Knights overcame a three-goal deficit Sunday night to beat Colorado 5-3 and move within a victory of their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine years.

“It obviously feels really good right now, but we’re playing a hell of a hockey team,” Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner said. “We know that the next game is going to be even tougher now. Enjoy this for the next 10 minutes, 30 minutes, go home and then try to take care of yourself, and do what you got to do to be ready tomorrow.”

The Golden Knights go for what would be a stunning sweep over the Presidents' Trophy winners on Tuesday night. Chicago in 2013 was the last team to win the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

Colorado will try to become just the fifth team to win a series after falling behind 3-0. Los Angeles in 2014 was the most recent team to accomplish that in eliminating San Jose in their first-round series.

Vegas, which trailed 3-0 after the first period, was 0-19 in the playoffs when behind that many goals. The Avalanche were 74-1 when holding such a lead.

“As low as it can get,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of the team's emotions. “It’s a big hill to climb. The next 24-to-36 hours is for … you’ve got to find a way to get over it, regroup and go again.”

Colorado has other concerns because front-line center Nathan MacKinnon might not be fully healthy going forward. MacKinnon, who has 15 points this postseason and led the league in the regular season with 53 goals, took a puck to his right knee in the second period and played through the injury.

That comes just as the Avalanche got back star defenseman Cale Makar, who missed the first two games this series because of an upper-body injury.

Vegas keeps finding aways, going this deep into the postseason despite being outshot in 11 of 15 games, including now nine in a row. The Golden Knights erased deficits the past two games against Colorado, though Game 2 was just 1-0.

“We’ve been all season long many times down,” Hertl said. “We’ve come back so many times. Even after the first when we were down 3-0 we knew we could do it.”

Hertl, Mark Stone and William Karlsson each had a goal and assist. Keegan Kolesar and Brett Howden scored the other Golden Knights goals, and Mitch Marner and Kaedan Korczak each tallied two assists. Carter Hart made 32 saves.

Stone’s goal came on his first appearance since suffering a lower-body injury in Game 3 of the second-round series against Anaheim. Kolesar, who had gone 37 playoff games without a goal, picked up his first point of the postseason.

Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Jack Drury scored for the Avalanche, and Devon Toews had two assists. Scott Wedgewood stopped 18 shots.

The Avalanche dominated the first period by taking a 3-0 lead, but the Golden Knights thought they had cut the deficit to 2-1 when Pavel Dorofeyev appeared to score a power-play goal with 7:26 left. Officials immediately waved it off and the decision was upheld on video review.

Colorado then made the Golden Knights pay when Drury found himself alone on a breakaway, deking Vegas goalie Hart to score the short-handed goal with 6:45 left for the three-goal lead.

But the Golden Knights didn't let the two-goal swing trouble them too much, with Stone's power-play goal 19 seconds into the second period sparking a three-goal answer to tie the game heading into the final period of regulation.

Then Hertl broke the deadlock — and now the Golden Knights just need to win one of four games.

“I want them to feel it for a little bit, as far as what they just did against a really good hockey club,” Tortorella said, “but then we get back to work tomorrow.”

There was a moment of silence before the game for two-time NASCAR champion driver and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch. He died Thursday at 41 after severe pneumonia developed into sepsis, according to a statement from Busch's family.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood, right, deflects a shot by Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Kaedan Korczak, left, during the second period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon lays on the ice after being injured during the second period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri, right, celebrates his goal with center Martin Necas during the first period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar, second from left, is held back after Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson, right, shoved him into the boards after Kolesar scored during the second period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl, left, celebrates his goal with right wing Mark Stone during the third period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — In a roller coaster of a Sunday for the Colorado Avalanche, they welcomed their defensive star back in time for Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, survived a scare with their biggest offensive name before losing another, and squandered a first-period three-goal lead en route to a 5-3 loss.

Vegas scored five unanswered goals to push the Avalanche to the brink of elimination. One more win and Vegas returns to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in four years, and third time in the franchise's nine-year existence.

It would also mark the 15th straight season the Presidents' Trophy recipient — the team with the most regular-season points — failed to win the Stanley Cup.

Colorado defenseman Cale Makar returned to the ice after missing the first two games with an upper-body injury he suffered in Game 5 of the conference semifinals against the Minnesota Wild.

Leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon fought through an injury sustained in the second period, and forward Valeri Nichushkin was lost with an injury and finished with just 8:34 of playing time.

“You lose Nate and Val ... so you’re running a shorter bench, and you’re just doing the best you can to try and create a chance to win the hockey game,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, who didn't have an update on either forward. “I don’t know, how do you navigate it? You just put your head down (and) keep working. You got three different lines or two different lines, and spot shift in your 10th guy to try and give some guys a break; not ideal circumstances for sure.”

Vegas had taken advantage of Makar's absence, winning the first two games of the series. But with the two-time Norris Trophy winner back in the lineup, all things were seemingly headed in Colorado's direction, as it was the Avalanche who came out swinging with three first-period goals to stun the announced crowd of 18,212.

But, after Vegas tied the game with three straight goals of its own, MacKinnon left late in the second period after taking a blistering slapshot to the side of his left knee. MacKinnon took two shifts after blocking Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore's shot but, clearly in pain, went down to the locker room with 3:36 left in the period.

“It’s tough, he sells out for a shot block, and unfortunately, it’s obviously because of a bad turnover from us,” Makar said about MacKinnon. “And then just giving them those opportunities in the first place, so (that) shouldn’t happen. But obviously an amazing block there.”

MacKinnon, who had an assist in the first period and leads Colorado with 15 points this postseason, was back on the ice in the third period but finished with just 18:02 time on ice. The 2024 Hart Trophy winner was averaging more than 21 minutes of playing time through the team's first 11 games.

“Everyone’s down in the dumps right now,” Bednar said. “That’s in the next 36 hours ... to get our team back to where our focus is in the right place, and seems like a tough hill to climb — especially against a team like Vegas.”

Vegas welcomed back a key figure, as captain Mark Stone returned to the lineup after missing the last five games. Stone exited Game 3 of Vegas’ conference semifinal series with the Anaheim Ducks with a lower-body injury. Stone finished with a goal and an assist in Vegas' win on Sunday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar, left, gets set to score on Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood during the second period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, right, reaches in on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar during the first period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Colorado Avalanche center Jack Drury celebrates after scoring during the first period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon lays on the ice after being injured during the second period in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)