The Henderson Silver Knights owned home ice. Colorado owned the game.
The Eagles beat Henderson 1-0 on Friday, May 1, at Lee’s Family Forum to take a 1-0 lead in the Pacific Division semifinals. Alex Barré-Boulet’s power-play goal late in the first period was the only finish either side could find, and Colorado’s structure did the rest.
One mistake, one goal
Henderson had a chance to grab momentum early when Colorado goalie Trent Miner was called for tripping at 9:48 of the first. The Silver Knights came up empty on the power play, and the night flipped late in the period.
Lucas Johansen went off for high-sticking at 17:16, and Colorado cashed 24 seconds later. Barré-Boulet scored at 17:40 on the power play, taking a feed from T.J. Tynan with T.J. Hughes also earning an assist.
That was it. The Eagles scored once, then spent the next 42 minutes squeezing the game down to nothing.
Colorado dictated the pace
The stat line tells you how the night felt. Colorado outshot Henderson 33-18 and won every period in shots, 11-6 in the first, 10-7 in the second, and 12-5 in the third.
Henderson never generated sustained zone time, and the Silver Knights didn’t get a push from the bottom of their lineup. Raphael Lavoie and Ben Hemmerling led the way with four shots each, but most of Henderson’s looks came from the outside and died without a second chance.
Colorado’s penalty kill helped set the tone, too. The Eagles killed Henderson’s lone power play and finished 1-for-2 themselves, which was the difference in a game that demanded perfection.
A goalie duel, but Miner got the shutout
Trent Miner stopped all 18 shots he faced and was named the game’s first star. He stayed clean through traffic, controlled rebounds, and never gave Henderson a soft second opportunity when the game tightened late.
Carl Lindbom did his part as well. He stopped 32 of 33 shots and was the second star, keeping Henderson within one all night and giving the Silver Knights a chance to steal it in the third. Henderson pulled Lindbom for an extra attacker late, but Colorado held firm.
Barré-Boulet, the goal scorer, was the third star.
What it means going forward
The series isn’t in trouble, but Henderson’s approach has to change fast. Colorado wants low-event hockey, and Game 1 went exactly where the Eagles wanted it. Henderson needs more speed through the middle, more bodies at the net, and more chaos around Miner’s crease on Monday.
Up Next
Game 2 is Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m. at Lee’s Family Forum. Henderson needs a response to even the series before it shifts to Colorado for Game 3 on Wednesday, May 6.
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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.
