The Colorado Avalanche overcame two deficits to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-5 in a shootout on Saturday, extending their winning streak to seven games. Nathan MacKinnon recorded three points, while Martin Necas scored twice in the thrilling comeback at T-Mobile Arena. The victory highlights Colorado's resilience against a strong Pacific Division rival.
The Colorado Avalanche trailed twice by two goals but mounted a dramatic comeback, scoring three times in the third period to force overtime and ultimately win 6-5 in a shootout against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on December 27, 2025.
Vegas struck first at 2:43 of the opening period when Alexander Holtz tapped in a backdoor pass from Noah Hanifin for a 1-0 lead. In the second, Ivan Barbashev extended it to 2-0 just 34 seconds in on a rush. Samuel Girard pulled Colorado within one at 5:19 when his centering pass deflected off Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. Necas tied it at 2-2 at 10:27, his shot deflecting off Kaedan Korczak. But Ben Hutton and Brett Howden quickly restored Vegas's two-goal advantage, making it 4-2 by 12:05.
The third period belonged to Colorado. Necas scored again at 3:52, deflecting off Korczak to cut the deficit to 4-3. MacKinnon tied it at 4-4 at 8:21, sweeping in a loose puck after a slap shot from Sam Malinski. Colton Sissons put Vegas ahead 5-4 at 16:00 with a forehand-backhand move. With goalie Scott Wedgewood pulled, Artturi Lehkonen tied it at 5-5 at 18:03 on a snap shot from the slot.
Overtime solved nothing, leading to the shootout where Necas and MacKinnon scored for Colorado, while Wedgewood denied Vegas. "We kept fighting, and the guys played with a lot of heart," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. MacKinnon added, "We grinded that one out."
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy lamented, "We should have been able to close out the game." Holtz's goal was his first since April 12, 2025, and Hutton matched his career-high fifth goal. The win marks Colorado's first third-period multi-goal comeback this season and improves their calendar-year record to 54-16-11.
