DENVER — Mikko Rantanen did the honors on a power play he drew in overtime, scoring 2:07 into the extra period to send his teammates spilling over the boards and secure the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Colorado’s sixth straight win to start the postseason gave it a 2-0 second-round series lead as the teams travel to Vegas.

Rantanen had the stick taken out of his hands 44 seconds into overtime by Reilly Smith. Vegas coach Peter DeBoer called the slashing call “soft” and accused the Avalanche of embellishment. Rantanen said it was a widely penalized action.

“I’m a pretty strong guy too so I can hold onto my stick, but that was a pretty hard slash,” he said.

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Nathan MacKinnon hit the goal post during the power play before sending a cross-ice pass to Rantanen. Rantanen drifted forward and put a shot over a stick and Marc-Andre Fleury’s shoulder.

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Rantanen, the team’s top scorer during the regular season, has the fewest goals and points of the top line during the playoffs. He scored perhaps the most important one to date.

Philipp Grubauer made 38 saves through regulation, which was tough sledding for Colorado.

“He was basically the reason why we got to OT and then it’s good our special teams stepped up there,” Rantanen said.

The top line put five goals on the board in Game 1 but was less visible Wednesday. The second line of Brandon Saad, Tyson Jost and Valeri Nichushkin stepped up offensively with Samuel Girard as their enabler.

Just 3:39 into the first period, Girard found Saad at center ice. Saad went in with the Vegas defense on his heels and scored his fifth in five games five-hole. Vegas’ Alec Martinez canceled it out with a power-play one-timer before the halfway mark.

As a power play wound down, Girard found Jost in the slot. Jost turned and fired off the goal post and in to make it 2-1.

Nichushkin was the only member of that line who didn’t score in regulation and it wasn’t for lack of trying. He was often in good position and lobbed three shots on net.

“I was a little bit hot and cold with that line, but I was the same way with the rest of our team,” coach Jared Bednar said. “We had a good first period and obviously the last 40 minutes weren’t exactly the way we would have drawn them up.

“I think Gruby steals us that one and we’ve got to regroup and take a look at the tape and make some adjustments in areas we need to get better at going into Vegas.”

Smith tied the game at 2, scoring the only goal of the second period despite a 16-6 Vegas advantage in shots.

The third period was more of the same early with the Golden Knights peppering Grubauer with six shots before the Avalanche managed one 5:39 in.

“Got a little bit more than usual, but won’t complain,” Grubauer said.

Colorado got its best chance of the period when MacKinnon traced the Vegas crease with his skates. Fleury (22 saves) made a sprawling stop. The Avalanche penalty kill protected the tie with under four minutes left in regulation.

“Even though we didn’t play our best, it’s a big win to hold on and close it out on the power play,” Saad said.

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