The Colorado Avalanche will head to Vegas down 2-0 in their series, and after Friday night, they really only have themselves to blame for a 3-1 loss at home.

One thing this Avalanche team has prided itself on all season long is its ability to defend and defend with a lead. They had not lost a game in which they had the lead going into the third period. That changed on Friday.

Vegas scored two goals in a 127-second span halfway through the third period and added an empty netter.

The Avalanche had the lead and all the momentum in the second period. They were creating chances, particularly during a two-minute 4-on-4, but there’s one saying in hockey that will always ring true.

You can’t score if you don’t hit the net.

“We have chances to extend that lead to 2-0,” Jared Bednar said after the game. “I think back on some big moments, 4-on-4. We’re in the zone for a minute-plus. We get MacKinnon from the slot, miss the net. We get Toews from the slot, miss the net. We get Val Nichushkin coming downhill, we miss the net. We’re going to have to force them to make some difficult saves.”

Those missed opportunities in a period in which the Avalanche controlled the majority of the play came back to haunt them.

“I think we didn’t manage the puck right in the third,” Logan O’Connor said. “I think we got impatient with a plan that was working. It’s pretty simple what was working there in the second was get it deep, quick transition, low to high, go to the net, repeat. I think our puck play was sloppy, resulting in them getting some chances and better opportunities as a team, and they buried their chances and we didn’t.”

With a 1-0 lead and Vegas not doing much at 5-on-5, the Avalanche gave them life. With the puck in the offensive zone, a “hope” pass to the front of the net ended up on Vegas’ stick, leading to a transition and an odd-man rush the other way. With the puck on his stick and a little too much time and space, Jack Eichel beat Scott Wedgewood far side on a shot on which it looked like the Avalanche goaltender was off his angle.

Just two minutes later, a series of mistakes led to the Avalanche giving the Golden Knights the lead.

Valeri Nichushkin, with a chance to get the puck in deep, turned it over and the Golden Knights headed the other way. The Avalanche had coverage, but a Devon Toews turnover landed right on the stick of Eichel, who fed Ivan Barbashev. The Russian winger beat Wedgewood up high, and in the span of a few minutes, a one-goal lead turned into a one-goal deficit.

One the Avalanche couldn’t overcome.

“We have it over the red line, we don’t get it in, we get stripped from behind, and then we have it twice in the D-zone and we don’t get it out and they’re getting that shot. Both shots, they’re great shots, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like we (also) had lots of those.”

It wasn’t Colorado’s best showing, particularly in the first period, a period in which Wedgewood had to save their bacon quite a bit, but they had an opportunity to tie this series up with one good period of clean, defensive hockey. They’ve been able to do it all season.

They weren’t able to do it on Friday night, and that now puts them in an extremely difficult position in which they have to beat a Vegas team that is clearly rolling four lines in five games.

Impossible? No, but a lot has to improve for them to dig themselves out of this hole.

Golden Knights 3, Avalanche 1

What happened: Colorado blew a third-period lead for the first time all season.

What went right: The penalty kill was a bright spot for the Avalanche, as they really didn’t give the Golden Knights many good looks with the man advantage. Jack Drury had two massive shot blocks in the second period to help kill off one penalty while Wedgewood made a nice save on Mitch Marner during a third-period penalty kill.

What went wrong: Colorado just isn’t getting anything offensively from their big guns. Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin and Brock Nelson all combined for just three shots on goal at 5-on-5. Martin Necas has not looked comfortable this series playing in traffic and Vegas has neutralized him. You can’t win at this point in the playoffs when your best players aren’t your best players.

Avalanche goal scorer: Colton (2)

Golden Knights goal scorers: Eichel (2), Barbashev (4,5)

Between the pipes: Wedgewood finished with 22 saves and was great in the first, but at least one of those third-period goals needs to be stopped.

What’s next: Game 3 will take place in Vegas on Sunday at 6 p.m.