Charlie Coyle scored the shootout winner after notching two assists as the Colorado Avalanche edged the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Tuesday in Denver.
Valeri Nichushkin and Jimmy Vesey scored in regulation as Colorado (48-27-4, 100 points) erased a 2-0 deficit to improve to 7-2-1 over its past 10.
Scott Wedgewood made 19 saves for the Avalanche, who trail the second-place Dallas Stars by six points in the Central Division.
William Karlsson and Brayden McNabb scored for Vegas (47-22-9, 103 points), which clinched home ice for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs thanks to the point.
Akira Schmid stopped 34 shots.
Karlsson opened the scoring short-handed at 11:10 of the first, finishing off a two-on-one feed from Reilly Smith. It was his eighth score of the season and first since Dec. 21.
Colorado outshot Vegas 19-4 and outscored the Golden Knights 2-1 in the second period.
Vegas doubled its lead 40 seconds into the second as McNabb’s shot got past a screened Wedgewood. It was McNabb’s fifth tally of the season and first in 20 games.
Nichushkin got the Avalanche on the board on a power play at 9:46 with his 20th goal of the season. A video review determined the puck had crossed the goal line before Schmid had control of it in his glove.
With his assist, Nathan MacKinnon (116 points) moved into sole possession of the NHL scoring lead, one point ahead of Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov.
Colorado tied it 2-2 at 17:08 of the second as Vesey tapped in the rebound of Coyle’s shot. It was his fifth goal of the season and first as a member of the Avalanche.
Before the game, the Avalanche recalled Chris Wagner from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, and he took Ross Colton’s spot in the lineup.
Golden Knights defensemen Nicolas Hague and Alex Pietrangelo missed the game due to illness while leading scorer Jack Eichel sat because of an upper-body injury.
Tuesday was the third and final meeting between the clubs this season. Vegas doubled up Colorado 8-4 on Oct. 9, while the Avalanche picked up a 2-1 shootout victory on Nov. 27.
–Field Level Media
