DENVER (Interstat) — Ivan Barbashev scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of their playoff series Friday night at Ball Arena. A crowd of 18,147 watched the Golden Knights rally from a 1-0 deficit with three goals in the third period. Ross Colton put Colorado ahead in the first period with a wrist shot assisted by Brent Burns and Nazem Kadri. Jack Eichel tied the game early in the third, then Barbashev scored the go-ahead goal and added an insurance tally off a feed from Rasmus Andersson. Barbashev, the game’s first star, finished with two goals and an assist. Eichel had a goal and an assist, and Pavel Dorofeyev recorded two assists. For Colorado, Colton scored and goaltender Scott Wedgewood made 22 saves in the loss. Vegas outshot Colorado 24-22. The Golden Knights improved to 49-47, while the Avalanche fell to 63-30. Vegas leads the best-of-seven series 1-0, with Game 3 set for Sunday in Las Vegas.

DENVER (Interstat) — Ivan Barbashev scored two goals and added an assist, and Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Friday night in Game 2 of their playoff series at Ball Arena. The Golden Knights, who took a 1-0 lead in the series with a 4-2 win Wednesday, now lead 2-0 heading back to Las Vegas. Vegas scored all three of its goals in the third period after trailing 1-0 since the first. Barbashev and Eichel each finished with three shots on goal. Pavel Dorofeyev added two assists for Vegas. Scott Wedgewood stopped 22 of 24 shots for Colorado in the loss. Colorado struck first with 3:01 left in the opening period. Ross Colton scored his second goal of the playoffs on a wrist shot, with assists from Brent Burns and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission despite being outshot 14-10 in the period. The second period was scoreless, though Colorado generated several quality chances. Avalanche forward Martin Necas was called for slashing and tripping at 2:33 of the period, giving Vegas a four-minute power play that it could not convert. The Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore took a slashing penalty at 16:42, and Eichel was called for interference at 4:19, but neither team scored on the man advantage. Vegas outshot Colorado 12-11 in the second period, but Wedgewood kept the Avalanche ahead. Vegas broke through early in the third period. Eichel tied the game at 1-1 at 12:45 of the third, taking a feed from Dorofeyev and Barbashev and beating Wedgewood with a wrist shot. The goal was Eichel’s second of the playoffs. Barbashev gave Vegas the lead at 13:22 of the third, scoring off assists from Eichel and Dorofeyev. He added his second goal of the night and fifth of the postseason at 14:57, with Rasmus Andersson picking up the lone assist. Colorado pulled Wedgewood for an extra attacker in the final minutes but could not solve Vegas goaltender Carter Hart, who made 24 saves for the win. The Avalanche outshot Vegas 24-22 in the third period, but Wedgewood finished with 22 saves on 24 shots. The Golden Knights had a 37-26 advantage in shots on goal for the game. Key penalties included Burns high-sticking Tomas Hertl at 12:48 of the third, which gave Vegas a power play that did not produce a goal. Theodore was called for hooking Nathan MacKinnon at 3:58 of the third, but the Avalanche failed to capitalize. Attendance was announced as 18,147. Barbashev was named the top star for Vegas. In his previous outing against Colorado on May 20, he had two shots on goal and two penalty minutes. Over his last five games, he has recorded three goals and two assists. The Golden Knights improved to 49-47 overall, while the Avalanche dropped to 63-30. The series moves to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Sunday, May 24, at T-Mobile Arena. In its preview, Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Colorado 5, Vegas 3. The ELO system gave Colorado a 64.50 percent probability to win. The Avalanche were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5 goals. The total of four goals went under the over/under line of six.

NHL Playoffs: Golden Knights at Avalanche DENVER (Interstat) — The Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche will meet Friday in Game 2 of their Western Conference playoff series at Ball Arena, with the series tied 0-0 after a scoreless Game 1 that went to overtime Wednesday. Vegas (47-47) managed only 22 shots in the opener, while Colorado (63-28) fired 34 at Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill, who made 34 saves in a 0-0 stalemate that carried into an extra period. The Avalanche outshot the Golden Knights 34-22 and controlled long stretches of play at even strength, but could not solve Hill. Colorado enters as the clear regular-season powerhouse, finishing 16 games above .500. The Avalanche swept their first-round series against the Minnesota Wild in five games, outscoring the Wild 24-18. Their most recent victory came May 13, a 4-3 overtime win in Game 5, with Jack Drury scoring a goal on four shots and Nathan MacKinnon adding a goal on nine shots. Drury, a center, has been productive in the postseason, recording one goal and four shots in that decisive Game 5. In the opening round, he added two assists and six shots across seven games. His ability to win faceoffs and create in the offensive zone will be critical as the Avalanche seek to crack Vegas’ defense. Vegas, conversely, stumbled through the regular season but peaked in the first round, defeating the Anaheim Ducks in six games. The Golden Knights are 7-2 in their past nine contests dating to the end of the regular season. Pavel Dorofeyev has emerged as a scoring threat, totaling six goals and 18 shots in his past seven games. Dorofeyev recorded two goals on three shots in a 5-1 win over Anaheim on May 14, the Golden Knights’ most recent outing. Over the prior six games, he scored five goals and added two assists. The head-to-head history this season favors Colorado: the Avalanche won 6-5 in a shootout in Las Vegas on Dec. 27 and 4-2 on Oct. 31 in Denver. Vegas’ only regulation win came April 11, a 3-2 overtime victory in Denver. The series continues Sunday in Vegas for Game 3. Game 4 is set for Tuesday, also at T-Mobile Arena, before the series returns to Denver for Game 5 on May 28.