The VGK are in a dog fight in the Pacific Division. They need every point they can find as they embark on this crucial part of the season that will determine their playoff future.

Last night if you were a VGK fan, you weren’t sure what to expect at T-Mobile when they faced off against the Colorado Avalanche, arguably one of the hottest teams in the NHL, considering the stinker they played 24 hours earlier against Arizona, the worst team in the league. What the 18,333 saw was a VGK team that was able to respond in a way that is encouraging, despite the result of the 3-2 come-from-behind win for Colorado, using a mere 26 seconds in the 3rd period to ruin a strong performance by the VGK, especially in the neutral zone.

Many hockey fans believe games are won and lost from the blue line down to the goal line, which accounts for 150 feet of the 200-foot length of the ice. But the importance of the 50 feet that encompass the area between both blue lines that is separated by the center ice red line is just as important.

Last night the VGK dominated that portion of the ice that Colorado uses to perfection on most nights in generating their offense, using their speed to force teams to back up, which creates gaps between the puck- carrying player and the defenders.

That didn’t happen last night as Vegas was stepping up in the neutral zone, picking off passes, getting in the way, and frustrating the Avs as they attempted to move the puck through the neutral zone. Scoring opportunities for the most part are created in the offensive zone, but entry into the zone is what really creates them.

The VGK used this portion of the ice in scoring their first goal. Chandler Stephenson took a perfect pass from Jack Eichel in the 50 feet, catching the Avs flat-footed. Chandler beat Kuemper just 4:07 into the first period for the 1-0 lead. Things were looking up for the VGK despite Colorado responding with their own goal just 3:03 after Stephenson’s goal.

Jonathan Marchessault, who may be the smallest player on the VGK roster, but plays with the biggest heart and determination, especially with Mark Stone still missing from the lineup, took a cross-ice pass from Reilly Smith just 1:21 later to reestablish the 1-goal lead.

The VGK held the high-flying offense of Colorado to just 6 shots on Laurent Brossoit in the first period, while Vegas had the better of the play and flow, sending 15 shots on Darcy Kuemper.

The 2 teams played a scoreless 2nd period and we were headed into the 3rd period with Vegas leading 2-1. Vegas has been a dominating team with a 3rd period lead, losing only one game this season. The game plan of clogging up the neutral zone was working wonders, resulting in holding Nathan MacKinnon to zero shots on goal for the first 40 minutes which is a feat in itself. If you doubt this opinion, in Colorado’s last game against Winnipeg on Friday night, MacKinnon had 14 shots on goal in their come-from-behind 6-3 win. But keeping a world-class player like MacKinnon not only off the scoresheet but to zero shots is not an easy task.

Colorado got a fortuitous bounce 5:40 into the 3rd period that tied the game up at 2-2. Jake Jackson’s shot from the blue line hit JT Compher in the stomach and bounced into the net past Brossoit. It was a deflating goal for the VGK, who saw their 45:40 of a solid performance now probably coming down to the next goal winning the game, considering the defensive play that both teams were exhibiting.

Did Compher’s lucky goal create a moment that would cause the VGK to lose their focus? Moments after the ensuing faceoff, William Karlsson had his pocket picked by Cale Makar just inside the blue line of the VGK offensive zone. Makar used his speed to create a gap between himself and Brayden McNabb, then found Nathan MacKinnon streaking into the zone down the left wing, with all of his speed that he created with the free neutral zone ice. MacKinnon, who hadn’t taken a shot through 46 minutes of play, took the cross-ice pass and fired a rocket that beat Brossoit over his blocker for the devastating 2nd Colorado goal in just 26 seconds. A complete gem of an effort by the VGK went up in smoke and 2 very important points disappeared.

Vegas held Colorado to just 3 shots on goal in the 3rd period, but still paid a heavy price for 26 seconds of a game that is 3,600 seconds long. It doesn’t seem fair, but that’s how quickly things can change. The silver lining, if any, is that Vegas had a huge response from their lackluster performance 24 hours earlier and it bodes well for them, even if right now it stings.

Other game notes and quotes.

“This is kind of how it’s going for us, we fall asleep for a couple of minutes and we lose the game there,” Marchessault said. “They score one goal and the next shift is important, and it’s kind of a breakout play and they cash in again. They have some of the best players in the world out there and they’re the best team. This is the adversity we’re facing, and we better get out of it.”

“We left it out there. That’s exactly how we want to play, going into the third with the lead,” Coach DeBoer said. “We gave them three shots in the third and they scored two. We did a lot of really good things, except win. It’s that fine line and when you’re playing one of the elite teams, you have to do everything right.”

“We’ve had [adversity] all year with injuries and whatnot,” Brayden McNabb said. “We’ve handled it well in the past and we’re in it again, and we just have to get back to basics. We played a good game, we had chances, and we have to bear down. They get a chance and they put it in the net. It’s frustrating, but you put your work boots on, make sure your compete is there, and things will fall into place.”

The Golden Knights played without forwards Max Pacioretty and Mattias Janmark, who were each injured in the loss to the Coyotes on Friday.

My 3 Stars of the Game: Nathan Mackinnon (GWG on his only shot of the game), Darcy Kuemper (stopped 34 of 36 shots for a .944 save percentage), Jonathan Marchessault (1G and continues to be the straw that stirs the drink for the VGK)

Next Game is Tuesday March 1 vs. San Jose at 7 P.M. at T-Mobile

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Stephenson’s opening goal
Marchessault goal off a pretty pass from Smith
JT Compher’s goal that bounced in off of his stomach
MacKinnon GWG