The NHL left its mark on the Golden Knights tonight with a deeply questionable call
The video review screen flashed. The crowd held its breath. And the call on the ice stood.
No goal for Pavel Dorofeyev. The Golden Knights walked away from a sequence that looked very much like a goal to most of the building.
The replay is where it gets ugly. The puck appears to get pushed across the line, but the question is what pushed it. A hand? A stick blade near the hand? The angle never gave a clean answer.
That kind of inconclusive review is exactly why "the call on the ice stands" exists in the rulebook. It's also exactly why fans lose their minds when it lands against them.
Losing Dorofeyev's name in particular off this scoresheet stings. The 25-year-old Russian forward has been Vegas's most dangerous scorer this postseason with 10 goals and 14 points across 14 playoff games.
He's been even hotter heading in. 9 goals in his last 10 games of the regular season, including 6 in his final 5. That's not a player you take goals away from quietly.
How John Tortorella handles the bench reaction now matters
Tortorella has never been shy about voicing his opinion on officiating. The post-game presser is going to be must-watch television.
Vegas has been one of the hottest teams in hockey heading into this round. The Knights rode a 7-0-3 run through their last 10 regular-season games and a 3-game winning streak into the postseason.
Colorado is the buzzsaw on the other side. The Avalanche finished first overall at 55-16-11 with 121 points and a plus-99 goal differential.
Was the puck pushed in by a hand? Maybe. Did it touch the stick near the hand on the way down? Possibly. Neither answer was the one officials needed to overturn.
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GM Kelly McCrimmon's group has built its identity this season on resilience. Outshot some nights. Outchanced others. Still finding ways. That mentality gets tested by a swing call like this one.
Jared Bednar's Avalanche will take the break and move on. Colorado doesn't need extra help, but they'll absorb it without apology.
Dorofeyev will get his next chance. The series just got louder. Vegas just got angrier.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 24, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| William Karlsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mark Stone | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kaedan Korczak | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Devon Toews | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Keegan Kolesar | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Coghlan | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Parker Kelly | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Manson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Shea Theodore | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||