The past two Stanley Cup champions are both missing key players but remain near the top of the NHL standings. When they met Wednesday night at Ball Arena, one certainly looked ready to make another deep playoff run.
Valeri Nichushkin scored a pair of power-play goals and the Colorado Avalanche cruised past the Vegas Golden Knights in a 3-0 victory that did not look as close as the scoreboard indicated. Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves, and all of Colorado’s top offensive players had a strong night against the defending champions.
Vegas crushed Colorado in the first meeting between the clubs, but this was a very different game.