Brayden McNabb celebrates 600 games, but the Golden Knights drop their fourth straight in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights fought back from two goals down and briefly held the lead Thursday night, but a late New York push and a short-handed overtime finish sent Vegas to a 4–3 loss at T-Mobile Arena. The skid is now four games for a team searching for answers in mid-November.
The night started with a moment for the home crowd: Brayden McNabb skated in his 600th game with Vegas, one of the original “Misfits” still on the roster. He leads the franchise in hits and blocks, a reminder of how long he has anchored the blue line.
But the celebration didn’t carry into the first period. Vegas outshot New York 10–6 yet went to the intermission down 2–0 after giveaways and a penalty turned into Islanders goals. Reilly Smith said the team can’t keep digging holes.
“We were the better team and it seems like this is happening to us a lot lately,” Smith said. “We’re putting ourselves in that position pretty often right now. We have to figure that out.”
Shea Theodore scored late in the second, Tomas Hertl tied it early in the third, and Smith jammed in a rebound to give Vegas a 3–2 lead. New York’s challenge for goalie interference failed, but the Knights couldn’t extend the lead on the power play.
Mathew Barzal tied it with 2:37 left, and in overtime Vegas hit a post and a crossbar before Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored short-handed off a turnover.
“We had a chance to extend the lead and didn’t generate much,” coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Rookie forward Braeden Bowman impressed in his debut, earning praise for his poise and puck work.
“He created some opportunities and has a bright future,” Smith said.
The Colorado Avalanche are in the midst of a storybook start to the 2025-26 campaign, leading the NHL with a sparkling 12-1-5 record after a 6-3 doubling up of the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena on Thursday night. It was the fifth consecutive win for the Avs, who are looking like a powerhouse in the early going.
And star forward Martin Necas was right in the thick of things — as he usually is — scoring two goals and adding two assists for his first four-point game of the new season. The Czech native also made Avalanche franchise history in the process.
“Martin Necas became the first player in Avalanche/Nordiques history to score within the opening minute of a game three times in a single season,” confirmed NHL Public Relations on Thursday night.
Necas opened the scoring just 52 seconds into the contest, and it’s becoming clear No. 88 doesn’t like wasting time once the puck drops.
“I think it’s nice when the other team has to chase and we just keep playing our game,” the 26-year-old said afterwards, per NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding. “I don’t think we can let off the gas. Even if you don’t start well, you still give your best. [You’re] wasting energy, so might as well make it count, and whenever you’re up in the first period, it’s always good.”
Necas would assist on Colorado’s next goal, giving the team a 2-0 lead. Buffalo ended up fighting back, even tying things up late in the second period. But Necas wasn’t done, scoring the dagger with under four minutes left in the final frame.
That gave the Avs a 5-3 lead, which would be all that they needed on this night. Necas assisted on Gabriel Landeskog’s empty net goal to seal the victory late in regulation.
After the cross-conference victory, the Avalanche remain without a regulation loss since October 25. Jared Bednar’s team is looking nothing short of formidable, scoring 74 goals already through just 18 games. That’s “the fourth most in team history prior to the club’s 20th game of a season behind 1995-96 (77), 2005-06 (76) and 2021-22 (76),” confirmed Boulding.
“I loved our start. We talked about it,” Bednar said. “They’re playing on a back to back. It’s a young team. They’ve lost a handful in a row. You knew they were going to be hungry. We tried to push them out of the game early. They didn’t go away. Give them credit. And then we made some mistakes.”
Although the Avalanche allowed the Sabres to get back into it, Necas was a big reason why they were able to close it out. He’s a critical part of one of the league’s best top lines alongside Artturi Lehkonen and league-leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon; the latter has amassed a ridiculous 33 points in just 18 games.
Next up for the Western Conference’s top team is a date with the visiting New York Islanders on Sunday night. After that, Colorado will have a three-day break before returning to the ice to host the New York Rangers next Thursday, November 20.
With a mostly healthy roster and more star power than maybe any other club, the Avs will look to keep on rolling as they try to capture a first President’s Trophy since 2020-21.