The Henderson Silver Knights got their sweep, and they earned a few days to breathe. Now the real test starts.
Henderson opens the Pacific Division semifinals against the Colorado Eagles at 7 p.m. Friday, May 1, at Lee’s Family Forum. It’s a best-of-5, it starts in Henderson, and it brings the one team that had Henderson’s number during the regular season.
Colorado won the season series 5-3, but the bigger point is how the games played out. Three of the eight meetings went beyond regulation, and even the regulation games turned on a couple shifts and special teams.
The bracket says this is Round 2, the matchup says it’s a coin flip
Both teams arrive 2-0 in the playoffs, and both teams won their first round the same way, defend first and punish mistakes.
Henderson swept San Jose, winning 5-4 in overtime in Game 1 and closing 5-1 in Game 2. Colorado handled San Diego in two games, winning 3-0 and 6-1, and the Eagles have allowed just one goal so far.
Colorado’s goalie Trent Miner enters Round 2 at 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .978 save percentage, plus one shutout. Henderson’s Carl Lindbom is also 2-0, but his line sits at 2.50 and .898, which means Henderson needs cleaner defensive starts than it needed in Round 1.
Regular season history: Colorado edged it, but Henderson knows the blueprint
Colorado took five of eight, but Henderson’s wins showed the path.
On Feb. 28 at Lee’s, Henderson beat Colorado 4-2 and made special teams the separator. The Silver Knights went 2-for-4 on the power play, Colorado went 0-for-2, and Lindbom stopped 39 shots.
The next night, March 1, Colorado won 4-3 in a shootout, but Henderson pushed it there by going 3-for-6 on the power play. Colorado owned shots 42-27, yet Henderson still had a chance at the finish line.
Then there were the December games in Colorado, both overtime losses. Henderson fell 2-1 on Dec. 20 with Colorado scoring 26 seconds into OT, then dropped a 3-2 game the next night with Colorado winning late in overtime again.
The message is clear. Henderson isn’t walking into an unfamiliar fight, but it has to land the first clean punch because Colorado does not give games away.
What Henderson has rolling right now
Trevor Connelly has driven the first two playoff games. He leads Henderson with five points on one goal and four assists, and he already delivered the biggest moment of Round 1 with the overtime winner in Game 1 against San Jose.
Raphael Lavoie has been exactly what he has been for months. He has three goals in two playoff games, including the power-play strike that put Game 2 out of reach.
Tanner Laczynski hasn’t scored yet in the postseason, but he has three assists in two games. That matters, because Henderson’s best shifts usually start with Laczynski winning a matchup, turning the puck north, and forcing the other team to defend.
Henderson’s back end has been involved, too. Jeremy Davies has two goals in two games, and Lukas Cormier has a goal and an assist.
If Henderson is going to crack Miner, it will likely come from the middle of the ice. That means net-front work, second chances, and pucks arriving with traffic.
What Colorado brings, beyond the goalie headline
Colorado’s offense hasn’t needed a single superstar so far, which is its own problem for opponents.
Ivan Ivan leads the Eagles with three points in two games. Taylor Makar, Jayson Megna, Tristen Nielsen, Gavin Brindley, and Keaton Middleton all have two points, and that spread makes Colorado hard to game plan against.
Colorado has killed all four penalties it has faced so far. If Henderson doesn’t win special teams minutes, it risks spending five-on-five time chasing a team that rarely gives up clean looks.
What decides Game 1
Special teams and shot quality.
Henderson’s power play is 2-for-8 in the playoffs, and Colorado’s is 2-for-7, so the first whistle wave can swing the opener. Colorado’s kill has been spotless, while Henderson’s has been good but not perfect, and that difference matters against a team that’s already proved it can win on one goal.
Discipline will matter just as much. If Henderson stays five-on-five and keeps its forecheck working, it can turn this into the kind of home game where Colorado has to play in uncomfortable space.
Up Next
Game 1: Colorado at Henderson, 7 p.m. Friday, May 1
Game 2: Colorado at Henderson, 7 p.m. Monday, May 4
Game 3: Henderson at Colorado, 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, May 6
Game 4: Henderson at Colorado, 6:05 p.m. Saturday, May 9*
Game 5: Henderson at Colorado, 6:05 p.m. Sunday, May 10*
*If necessary
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Silver Knights win Game 1 on Connelly OT goal, beat Barracuda 5-4
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
