Avalanche face a bigger problem than Vegas after Game 2: the officials
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Daniel Lucente
May 23, 2026 (10:04)
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Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Martin Necas and Jared Bednar now have a Game 2 controversy sitting on top of a deeper Avalanche problem.
Colorado lost 3-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights, and the series is now 2-0 heading to Vegas.
That score matters. But the bigger story is control.
Vegas has dragged the Avalanche away from clean transition hockey and into a meaner, slower, uglier series.
The Rasmus Andersson clip fed that tone. He caught Nazem Kadri away from the puck, and Kadri's reaction said plenty.
Kadri turned back angry, arms up, looking for an answer while the play moved past him.
Bednar's Avalanche face a composure test now
The second clip cuts closer to the result. Brayden McNabb's glove came up into Martin Necas' face, officials talked it over, and Colorado got no power play.
Necas snapped back immediately, and the Avalanche bench had every reason to stare down the stripes.
"It looked like there was a penalty called for high-sticking on Brayden McNabb but after the officials discussed, there was no call."
- Gino Hard
- Gino Hard
Colorado finished the regular season 55-16-11 with a +99 goal differential. This team is built to play ahead, roll pressure, and make opponents chase.
Vegas went 39-26-17, but John Tortorella's club is winning the margins now: traffic, patience, defensive layers, and timely contact.
Bednar cannot let the series turn into a complaint file. The Avalanche need cleaner exits, faster support through the neutral zone, and more bodies inside.
The no-call will dominate the locker room noise. The response has to show up at puck drop in Game 3.
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