The Henderson Silver Knights face a must-win situation in Game 4 of their AHL semifinal series against the Colorado Eagles on Saturday night after dropping a 4-0 decision in Game 3.
The Silver Knights entered the postseason with the league's top offense, averaging 3.65 goals per game during the regular season. Raphael Lavoie led the way with 30 goals and 56 points in 45 games before adding three more in the opening-round sweep of the San Jose Barracuda. Yet the Eagles have held Lavoie scoreless through three contests while limiting Henderson to just 20 shots in Wednesday's shutout loss. The Silver Knights have also been without defenseman Dylan Coghlan, who remains on recall with the Vegas Golden Knights, and forward Matyas Sapovaliv, who missed Game 3 with an injury. Colorado advanced by sweeping the San Diego Gulls and has now recorded three shutouts against Henderson this postseason. Lavoie noted the team's confidence and defensive structure, saying, “Everybody just plays with a lot of confidence, and we make plays.” Henderson will look to even the best-of-five series at two games apiece on Saturday.