In a back-and-forth thriller that saw Vegas erase two separate two-goal deficits and tie the game twice in regulation, the Golden Knights outlasted the Avalanche 6-5 in a four-round shootout at the Rookie Faceoff.
A perfect prospect showcase slipped away in the final period, as the Colorado Avalanche rookies dropped a 6-5 shootout heartbreaker to the Vegas Golden Knights at Tech CU Arena — one night after looking every bit like the tournament's best team.
The Avalanche cruised past the Anaheim Ducks' rookies 7-2 on Saturday, but they couldn't carry that momentum into Sunday's matchup with Vegas. Ilya Nabokov sat this one out, leaving the crease to Nikita Novosyolov and Alexandre Raymond, who split the workload in net.
Novosyolov held his own, flashing solid form and coming up with several key saves to keep Colorado in it. Raymond had a rougher outing, surrendering multiple goals directly off faceoff draws as he struggled to find his footing.
First Period
The Avalanche struck first when Noah Jettelson threaded a shot through traffic to put Colorado on the board.
The Golden Knights, fresh off a 3-0 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday, briefly had the man advantage after Kalder Varga was called for slashing. Just over 30 seconds into the power play, though, Vegas forward Mathieu Cataford took exception to a clean, hard hit from Gustav Stjernberg. Cataford was whistled for roughing in response, making it 4-on-4.
After spending some time on the bench, Hemmerling eventually went down the tunnel while accompanied by a trainer.
With just under 3:30 left in the first period, Jake Chiasson extended the Avalanche's lead, sliding home a backhander off an offensive-zone faceoff win.
Second Period
The Golden Knights got on the board with their first goal of the tournament when Mateo Nobert set up Trent Swick on a slick 2-on-1 to make it 2-1. But the Avalanche answered right away — Chiasson struck again, sliding one past Vegas goaltender Matthew Minchak for his second of the game to restore the two-goal cushion.
As we approached the halfway point of the period, the Golden Knights handed the Avalanche their first power play of the night when Nobert hooked Linus Funck from behind.
Nikita Novosyolov made a strong case for himself between the pipes in the second period. The Avalanche lost track of the pace at times, giving up three straight rush chances to the Golden Knights, but Novosyolov stood tall each time — including one sprawling save where he split the crease and kicked the puck aside.
Jackson Hallum cut the lead to 3-2, cashing in on a rebound after crashing the net relentlessly and flipping the puck past an outstretched Novosyolov. The goal came on the power play after Colorado prospect Teddy Lechner was boxed for hooking.
The rest of the period got considerably feistier. Cataford and Stjernberg dropped the gloves for real this time, with Cataford getting the better of the exchange. Colorado's Rilen Kovacevic also traded shots with Golden Knights forward Jackson Hallum after a whistle.
Through two periods, the Avalanche led 3-2.
Third Period
The Golden Knights came out flying in the third, even if the scoreboard didn't show it. Vegas found some early success off the rush, and Hallum rattled a shot off the crossbar. But nearly five minutes in, the Avalanche got a lifeline on the power play after Vegas defenseman Viliam Kmec whacked Nikita Prishchepov's stick and sent him down for a tripping call.
Just over seven minutes into the frame, the Avalanche pushed the lead to 4-2. Sean Behrens threaded a pass through a maze of sticks and bodies to find Varga, who whacked it home.
Vegas cut the lead to one with 8:07 left in regulation, capitalizing on the power play when Swick blasted a shot past Alexandre Raymond, who'd taken over in net for Novosyolov to start the third. It was a three-point night for Swick, who now had two goals and an assist to his name.
Following a pair of matching penalties, Kmec ripped a wrist shot off the ensuing faceoff and beat Raymond clean, top shelf, to tie the game at four. On the very next whistle, Colorado handed Vegas another man advantage, this one a 4-on-3.
But Nikita Prishchepov had other plans. Channeling his inner Logan O'Connor, he pounced on a loose puck and took off on a breakaway to restore the lead, 5-4.
Colorado couldn't stay out of the box, and it kept costing them. Linus Funck was next to sit, and Vegas made it hurt almost immediately — Nobert snapped one past Raymond just seconds into the power play, tying the game at 5. Raymond struggled to find his footing between the pipes all period.
Shootout
After a scoreless overtime, it came down to a shootout — and it took four rounds to settle. Beckett Hamilton scored for Colorado, and Alex Weiermair answered with a nifty move around Raymond to keep Vegas alive. But Mathieu Cataford had the last word, burying the deciding goal to hand the Golden Knights a 6-5 win.
With the shootout loss, Colorado closes out the Rookie Faceoff with a 1-0-1 record.
Other Standouts
Jake Chiasson's two-goal performance stood out, while Nikita Prishchepov continued to show off his hockey IQ — routinely reading plays a step ahead of everyone else and using his speed and skill to capitalize. Beckett Hamilton, meanwhile, is already looking like a steal, exceeding expectations early on.
Next Up
Now the focus shifts to the main roster. Colorado's veterans report for training camp on Thursday, kicking off the countdown to puck drop on the 2026-27 season. The Avalanche will get their first look at this year's group in game action when they host the Utah Mammoth in their preseason opener on Sunday, September 20, at 5:00 p.m. MT.
