LAS VEGAS — The Colorado Avalanche hadn't tasted defeat in a month.
Let that sink in: An entire month without losing.
So, naturally, there was a bit of a hangover here in Las Vegas on Saturday morning after the Avs were dealt their first loss since May 5 on Friday night in Game 3 by the Golden Knights.
"We need to be more competitive. It felt like last night we got on our heels after obviously they got a good start," Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said after practice Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
"We all know that we need to be better. It was our first loss in 2 1/2 weeks. But having said that, we need to learn from it and be better and bounce back from it tomorrow. Simple as that."
Game 4 will tell much about the direction of the series. Colorado will look to bounce back Sunday evening.
>>Video above: 9NEWS sports reporters Arielle Orsuto and Quentin Sickafoose travel to Las Vegas to cover Avalanche vs. Golden Knights playoff hockey
Here are the pregame details for Game 4 from the Associated Press:
Colorado Avalanche (39-13-4, first in the West Division during the regular season) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (40-14-2, second in the West Division during the regular season)
Paradise, Nevada; Sunday, 6:30 p.m. MDT
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Golden Knights -114, Avalanche -106; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Avalanche lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche visit the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the 12th time this season. The Golden Knights won the previous matchup 3-2.
The Golden Knights are 40-14-2 against division opponents. Vegas ranks eighth in the league with 32.7 shots per game and is averaging 3.4 goals.
The Avalanche are 39-13-4 against the rest of their division. Colorado averages 9.8 points per game to lead the league, recording 3.5 goals and 6.3 assists per game.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mark Stone leads the Golden Knights with 40 assists and has 61 points this season. Mattias Janmark has three goals and three assists over the last 10 games for Vegas.
Mikko Rantanen leads the Avalanche with 30 goals and has 66 points. Nathan MacKinnon has eight goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Colorado.
DURING THE PLAYOFFS: Golden Knights: Averaging 2.6 goals, 4.5 assists, 3.4 penalties and 9.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .902 save percentage.
Avalanche: Averaging 4.6 goals, 7.9 assists, 3.3 penalties and 10.4 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game with a .941 save percentage.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: Peyton Krebs: out (upper body), Mattias Janmark: day to day (undisclosed), Brayden McNabb: day to day (health protocols), Alec Martinez: day to day (undisclosed), Tomas Nosek: day to day (undisclosed), Alex Tuch: day to day (undisclosed).
Avalanche: Jacob MacDonald: out (lower body), Bowen Byram: out (upper body), Matt Calvert: out (undisclosed), Dennis Gilbert: out (face).
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