DENVER — An offensive showcase in the Western Conference Final got its spark from an unexpected source Wednesday night.
Dylan Coghlan fired a wrist shot between Scott Wedgewood’s pads to break open a scoreless battle, propelling the Vegas Golden Knights to a commanding 4-2 victory over the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.
“Honestly, I didn’t know it went in until I looked at Shea (Theodore) and he was just smiling at me,” Coghlan said.
The goal marked Coghlan’s first playoff tally in his NHL career, his initial league score in almost five years, and only his seventh professional goal overall. The 28-year-old defenseman also delivered a crucial defensive play, breaking up a dangerous 3-on-2 rush that prevented Colorado from finding their rhythm.
“Yeah, so happy for him,” winning goalie Carter Hart said. “He came in in the Anaheim series. I thought he did a tremendous job then. Stepped up tonight huge. That was a huge first goal for us tonight and I couldn’t be happier for the guy.”
Vegas forward Pavel Doroleyev highlighted Coghlan’s complete performance, noting, “It’s not just about his goal. He did a lot of things right, especially in D-zone, on breakouts.”
However, that breakthrough moment stood out most significantly.
Coghlan’s last goal came on Dec. 17, 2021, against the New York Islanders, with three of his six career tallies occurring during a hat trick performance in a 4-3 defeat to the Minnesota Wild on March 10, 2021.
“He’s an easy guy to pull for,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said.
This season, Coghlan recorded 14 goals across 62 games with Henderson in the American Hockey League while remaining without a point in three regular-season appearances for Vegas.
“When you say Dylan Coghlan to me, I think of no fear,” Tortorella said. “I think he’s one of our best defensemen since he’s been with us and in the lineup. … He’s a bit unflappable.”
Vegas captured home-ice advantage from the conference’s top seed, ending Colorado’s impressive run of eight victories in nine playoff contests before this Western Conference Final setback.
Colorado defenseman Cale Makar sat out Game 1 due to an upper-body injury. Makar departed the ice clutching his right arm after a late collision in Game 5 against Minnesota last week, though he returned as Colorado secured an overtime victory.
Makar’s unavailability dealt a significant setback to the Avalanche. This represents the first playoff game Makar has missed due to injury during his Colorado tenure. The Norris Trophy finalist contributed four goals and one assist while logging nearly 25 minutes per game through the initial two rounds. Makar also anchors Colorado’s special teams units, which allowed a power-play goal to Doroleyev during the second period.
Colorado experimented with altered defensive pairings without Makar, creating some miscommunication that allowed Coghlan to drift into open ice and thread his shot past Wedgewood’s pads to end the scoreless deadlock in the second period.
“There’s definitely a trickle-down effect to that,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of not having Makar. “But he’s not playing. We have find a way.”
Coghlan has traveled extensively throughout his career, beginning with two seasons in Vegas before playing for Carolina and Winnipeg. He rejoined the Golden Knights last July, partially motivated by the relationships he had established.
“This is probably the best I’ve felt in my whole career,” Coghlan said. “Whoever it is I’m playing with I’m very comfortable out there with them. They make it pretty easy on me. We have some pretty world-class players.”
