{"id":1263,"date":"2026-05-21T05:03:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1263"},"modified":"2026-05-21T05:03:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:03:59","slug":"avalanche-shrug-off-2021-playoff-loss-to-golden-knights-as-they-meet-in-the-western-conference-final-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1263","title":{"rendered":"Avalanche shrug off 2021 playoff loss to Golden Knights as they meet in the Western Conference final"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

DENVER<\/strong> | Gabriel Landeskog doesn\u2019t need any extra incentive. Being in the Western Conference Final is more than enough for the Colorado Avalanche captain.<\/p>\n

If he did, though, memories of the second-round loss to Vegas in 2021 would be a powerful motivator. The Avalanche led that series 2-0 \u2014 and were up in the third period of Game 3 \u2014 before losing four straight.<\/p>\n

It stung then. But that breakdown fueled the Avalanche, too, as they captured the Stanley Cup title the following season. And then the Golden Knights won the Cup the season after that.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it\u2019s the same teams but a lot of turnover,\u201d Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri said ahead of a series that gets under way Wednesday night in Denver. \u201cObviously, we\u2019re hoping for a different outcome this time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Some familiar names remain from the \u201921 series that matched the speedy Avalanche against the physical Golden Knights \u2014 an apt description of this upcoming series, too.<\/p>\n

For Colorado, the lineup back then included Landeskog, Kadri, Cale Makar, Valeri Nichushkin, Devon Toews and Nathan MacKinnon, with coach Jared Bednar on the bench.<\/p>\n

For Vegas, there were such players as captain Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Brayden McNabb, Keegan Kolesar, Shea Theodore and Reilly Smith. Avalanche nemesis Pete DeBoer was coaching then for Vegas, now it\u2019s John Tortorella.<\/p>\n

Nicolas Roy has switched sides, with Vegas then and Colorado now. Same, in reverse, for Vegas forward Brandon Saad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel like we have swagger, believe in each other,\u201d Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin said. \u201cIt should be a fun test.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights have caught fire since Tortorella took over when Bruce Cassidy was let go. The team went 7-0-1 down the stretch \u2014 including a 3-2 overtime win over Colorado on April 11 \u2014 and beat playoff upstarts Utah and Anaheim to advance.<\/p>\n

Much like they did with Vegas after the 2021 series, the Avalanche are hoping to parlay the sting of a playoff loss to Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars last season into a positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe buy-in from our guys in both 2022 and this year, it\u2019s at a different level,\u201d said Bednar, whose Presidents\u2019 Trophy-winning Avalanche are 8-1 so far in the postseason. \u201cBecause they know what the stakes are.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Avalanche have been instilled as a plus-135 to capture the Cup, while the Golden Knights are plus-575.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter in this room,\u201d McNabb said of being an underdog. \u201cThey\u2019re a good team. We know that. We respect them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Familiar territory<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Golden Knights are making their fifth trip to the conference final since their first season in 2017-18. No team in that span has been to more.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour approach should always be the same, so I don\u2019t really think a whole lot changes,\u201d center Jack Eichel said. \u201cYou want to continue to elevate your game both individually and as a team the further you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trading places
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roy was dealt by Vegas last summer to Toronto for Mitch Marner. Roy wound up with Colorado in another trade and will be facing the team he helped to the 2023 Stanley Cup title.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a really good lineup. They have depth,\u201d Roy said. \u201cWe do as well. So looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four months ago, Kadri and Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson were teammates in Calgary. Andersson was traded in January and Kadri in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty crazy,\u201d Kadri said. \u201cIt worked out for both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacKinnon & Co.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MacKinnon leads the Avalanche this postseason with 13 points (seven goals, six assists). He\u2019s got plenty of help, though, as 17 different players have notched a goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t just happen,\u201d Landeskog said. \u201cThat\u2019s everybody pulling their weight and everybody doing the best they can to help the team out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dorofeyev heats up late
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both playoff series followed the same kind of pattern for Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev. He went scoreless in the first three games of the opening-round series against Utah before coming through with a goal in Game 4 and a hat trick in Game 5.<\/p>\n

Then Dorofeyev had just two assists in the first three games of the second-round series against Anaheim before totaling five goals over the final three games.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like he\u2019s beginning to be a high-stakes player, scoring big goals at big times,\u201d Tortorella said.<\/p>\n

The goaltenders<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colorado has used a combination of Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood in net. Wedgewood is 7-1 with a 2.21 goals-against average in this playoff run, while Blackwood is 1-0 with a 3.20 GAA.<\/p>\n

For the Golden Knights, Carter Hart is 8-4 with a 2.37 GAA and a .915 save percentage.<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson and AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

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Read more Golden Knights roll to early lead, hold off Avs 4-2 to open Western Conference Final<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Josh Jung hits tiebreaking single in 9th inning as Rangers rally for 5-4 win over Rockies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gabriel Landeskog doesn\u2019t need any extra incentive or motivation, as being in the Western Conference final is more than enough for the Colorado Avalanche captain, but if he did, though, then, memories of the second-round loss to Vegas in 2021 would be a powerful driving force.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[661,662,367,96,1795,1819],"tags":[361],"class_list":["post-1263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1gridsports","category-avalanche","category-pro","category-sports","category-z-sports-galley","category-z-sports-ts-2","tag-colorado-avalanche"],"yoast_head":"\nAvalanche shrug off 2021 playoff loss to Golden Knights as they meet in the Western Conference final - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=1263\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avalanche shrug off 2021 playoff loss to Golden Knights as they meet in the Western Conference final - 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