NHL Roundup: Avalanche Take Western Conference Lead
The NHL featured just three games on Friday, all decided in regulation, though Anaheim fans enjoyed a heartfelt reunion with their longtime former goalie.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Colorado’s Martin Necas made an impressive debut after inking an eight-year contract extension on Thursday. Necas scored only 41 seconds into the game and later added two assists. Brock Nelson extended the lead to 2-0 in the second period.
Vegas answered back with a power-play goal from Tomas Hertl, but veteran Brent Burns scored his first of the season—also assisted by Necas—to push the Avs to 3-1. Less than a minute later, Mitch Marner cut the lead back to 3-2, yet Necas set up Cale Makar for an empty-net goal that sealed Colorado’s second straight victory.
Colorado now sits atop the Western Conference with a 7-1-4 record (18 points), while Vegas drops to 6-2-3 (15 points).
New York Islanders vs. Washington Capitals
Tom Wilson opened the scoring for Washington, but New York responded fiercely with three unanswered goals. Jean-Gabriel Pageau netted a short-handed goal late in the first period to even the game. Bo Horvat gave the Islanders a 2-1 advantage, and Matthew Barzal—recently benched by coach Patrick Roy for “personal reasons”—sealed the 3-1 win with an empty-netter.
The Capitals suffered their third loss in five games as the Islanders maintained their strong form.
Author’s Summary
The Avalanche climbed to first in the West behind Necas’s stellar debut, while the Islanders surged past Washington with disciplined play and timely scoring.