The Vegas Golden Knights rookies didn’t just survive a wild one against Colorado - they dragged themselves back from the edge and finished the job.
Down two goals in the third period, Vegas flipped a 6-5 shootout win over the Avalanche rookies at Tech CU Arena, turning what looked like a rough night into one of the tournament’s most chaotic and satisfying finishes. It was a sharp answer after Saturday’s 3-0 shutout loss to the Utah Mammoth, and the response came with plenty of bite.
Colorado opened the scoring when Noah Jettelson found space through traffic, and the Avalanche soon added another chance after Kalder Varga was whistled for slashing. Vegas forward Mathieu Cataford changed the tone in a hurry, landing a hard legal hit on Gustav Stjernberg and drawing a roughing call to even the ice at 4-on-4.
The Avalanche built on that early edge anyway. Jake Chiasson scored late in the period on a backhand off an offensive-zone draw, and Colorado went into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.
Vegas finally got its first goal of the tournament in style. Mateo Nobert set up Trent Swick on a 2-on-1, and Swick finished cleanly to cut it to 2-1.
Colorado answered back quickly through Chiasson’s second goal of the night, but the Golden Knights kept coming. Jackson Hallum buried a rebound on the power play to trim the deficit to 3-2, and the temperature kept rising from there.
Cataford and Stjernberg dropped the gloves, with Cataford getting the better of the fight, and Hallum later got involved again after a whistle with Colorado’s Rilen Kovacevic.
Colorado still carried a 3-2 lead after two periods, but the momentum had started to tilt.
Then the third period turned into a sprint.
Hallum rang one off the crossbar early, and Vegas kept pushing even after Colorado stretched the lead to 4-2 on a power-play goal. Swick answered with his second of the night on the power play to make it 4-3, and then Viliam Kmec ripped a wrist shot top shelf off a faceoff draw to tie it at four.
Colorado briefly reclaimed the lead on a Nikita Prishchepov breakaway, but Vegas answered almost immediately when Nobert snapped in a power-play goal just seconds after Colorado took a penalty. That made it 5-5 and sent the game to overtime.
The extra frame didn’t produce a winner, so the teams went to a shootout that took four rounds. Beckett Hamilton scored first for Colorado, Alex Weiermair matched him with a slick move, and then Cataford finished it off with the shootout winner after already leaving his mark physically all night.
Swick ended with three points, scoring twice and adding an assist. Cataford, Nobert, Kmec and Weiermair all played major roles in the comeback that gave Vegas the 6-5 victory.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Fans Just Got An Easier Way To Watch This Season
The Golden Knights are heading into their fourth season with ViewLift, and KnightTime+ is arriving with a little more polish for fans trying to keep up with the team. The direct-to-consumer streaming service has already seen significant growth in registered users and total views, and it is rolling out a start-from-the-beginning, DVR-style option that should make it easier to catch games without worrying about missing the opening puck drop.
KnightTime+ is also widening its reach by adding Google TV devices, another step in making local Golden Knights broadcasts more accessible across multiple states. The service remains available by subscription with a free trial through Sept. 30, 2026, giving fans a clearer and more flexible way to follow Vegas without relying on the old viewing routine. [Read more 🡒]
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The price of a night out at T-Mobile Arena has become part of the conversation around the Golden Knights, and not in a good way. A recent Canada Sports Betting study pegged the average cost for a family of four to attend a Vegas game at $1,057.75, second only to Montreal in the NHL, with tickets, food and parking all pushing the total higher. For a franchise that has built one of the leagues most energetic home environments, the numbers are a reminder that the experience can come with a steep bill before the puck even drops.
The Golden Knights have already taken steps to ease some of that pressure, including a discounted locals menu and lower season ticket prices aimed at addressing affordability concerns. Even so, the larger issue lingers for a fan base that has embraced the team since its arrival and now has to weigh loyalty against rising game-day costs. How much those changes actually move the needle, and whether they are enough to keep a trip to the arena feeling accessible, is the part supporters will be watching next. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Face A Harsh Reality Heading Into 2026-27
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For Vegas, the challenge is bigger than simply turning the page. The club wants better regular-season results and will have to account for roster turnover, including the departure of Pavel Dorofeyev, as it tries to find the right mix again. The question now is how quickly Craig and the front office can make that restart look less like a rebuild and more like another contender in the making. [Read more 🡒]