Avalanche Drop Season’s First Game 8-4 to Golden Knights

The Avalanche lost the first game of the 2024-25 season 8-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday. Mikko Rantanen netted the eighth hat trick of his career and Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Samuel Girard all posted multi-point games.

Rantanen scored the first goal of the Avalanche’s season at 10:48 of the first period with a left-circle one-timer off a low-to-high pass from MacKinnon, who picked up his 900th career point (335g/565a) with the primary assist, while Devon Toews recorded the secondary assist on the play.

Victor Olofsson leveled the score for Vegas at 11:15 of the opening frame with a turnaround wrist shot through traffic from the left circle.

The Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead at 18:32 of the period with a wrist shot by Ivan Barbashev from the bottom of the right circle.

Mark Stone doubled Vegas’ lead at 18:57 off the rush from the right doorstep off a cross-ice feed from Jack Eichel.

Entering the first intermission, the Golden Knights led 3-1 while being outshot 14-11 by the Avalanche.

Rantanen cut Colorado’s deficit in half with his second goal of the game at 4:15 of the second period on the power play with a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle off assists from Makar and MacKinnon.

Zach Whitecloud answered to give Vegas a 4-2 lead at 5:49 of the middle frame with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

Casey Mittelstadt brought the Avalanche within a goal when he backhanded the rebound from Samuel Girard’s left-point wrist shot from the right doorstep at 17:32 of the period, with Josh Manson picking up the secondary assist on the goal. With the primary assist on Mittelstadt’s goal, Girard registered the 200th point (31g/169a) of his career.

Olofsson scored his second of the night on a power play at 19:46 of the second period with a right-circle wrist shot.

Vegas took a 5-3 lead into the second intermission and entered the third period being outshot 22-16.

Rantanen completed his hat trick at 6:59 of the third period with a right-circle one-timer off assists from Makar and Girard.

Mark Stone doubled Vegas' lead at on the power play when he deflected Eichel's left-circle one-timer 8:27 of the third.

Barbashev's second goal of the night, a right-circle backhand shot, put Vegas up 7-4 at 13:54 of the third period.

Brett Howden gave the Golden Knights an 8-4 lead at 19:23 with an empty-net goal from the right circle.

The Avalanche will return to Denver to host the Columbus Blue Jackets in their home opener on Friday at 7 p.m. MT on Altitude Sports.