DENVER (AP) — A Western Conference Final loaded with offensive firepower was ignited by the unlikeliest of sparkplugs.
Dylan Coghlan’s wrist shot under Scott Wedgewood’s legs ended a scoreless deadlock and helped the Vegas Golden Knights steal home ice from the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche with a 4-2 statement win Wednesday night at Ball Arena.
“Honestly, I didn't know it went in until I looked at Shea (Theodore) and he was just smiling at me,” Coghlan
said.
It was Coghlan’s first career NHL playoff goal, his fist score in the league in nearly five years and just his seventh net-finder of his career. Adding to his big night, the 28-year-old defenseman made a terrific breakup of a 3-on-2 breakaway that kept the Avalanche scuffling to find the net themselves.
“Yeah, so happy for him,” winning goalie Carter Hart said. "He came in in the Anaheim series. I thought he did a tremendous job then. Stepped up tonight huge. That was a huge first goal for us tonight and I couldn't be happier for the guy."
Vegas forward Pavel Doroleyev praised Coghlan's overall game, saying, “It's not just about his goal. He did a lot of things right, especially in D-zone, on breakouts.”
But, that goal ...
Coghlan hadn’t scored since Dec. 17, 2021, in a game against the New York Islanders, and half of his six career goals came on a hat trick in a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on March 10, 2021.
“He's an easy guy to pull for,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said.
Coghlan had 14 goals in 62 games this season for Henderson in the American Hockey League. He was scoreless in three regular-season games for Vegas.
“When you say Dylan Coghlan to me, I think of no fear,” Tortorella said. “I think he’s one of our best defensemen since he’s been with us and in the lineup. ... He’s a bit unflappable.”
The Golden Knights stole home ice from the top-seeded Avalanche, who had won eight of nine games in these playoffs before their dud in the Western Conference Final opener.
Colorado defenseman Cale Makar missed Game 1 with an upper-body injury. Makar left the ice holding his right arm following a collision late in Game 5 against Minnesota last week but returned as Colorado won the game in overtime.
Makar’s absence proved a big blow for the Avalanche. This is the first time Makar has missed a playoff game for the Avalanche with an injury. The Norris Trophy finalist has four goals and an assist while averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time through the opening two rounds. Makar also is an integral part of Colorado’s special teams, which surrendered a power play goal to Doroleyev in the second period.
Colorado tried some different combinations without Makar. It led to some confusion, with Coghlan sneaking into the middle of the ice and lining a shot through the pads of Wedgewood to break a scoreless game in the second period.
“There’s definitely a trickle-down effect to that,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of not having Makar. “But he’s not playing. We have find a way.”
Coghlan has bounced around over his career, spending his first two seasons with Vegas before stints with Carolina and Winnipeg. He returned to the Golden Knights last July in part, he said, because of the bonds he’d formed.
“This is probably the best I’ve felt in my whole career,” Coghlan said. “Whoever it is I’m playing with I’m very comfortable out there with them. They make it pretty easy on me. We have some pretty world-class players.”
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AP Sports Writer Pat Graham and AP free-lancer Ashlyn Stapleton contributed to this report.
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