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Las Vegas — The Colorado Avalanche started Nathan MacKinnon and inserted Mackenzie Blackwood in goal for Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday as they tried to stave off elimination against the Vegas Golden Knights. Coach Jared Bednar confirmed MacKinnon would play after taking a Shea Theodore slapshot to the kneecap in Game 3; MacKinnon returned briefly late in that game but was clearly limited. Bednar said he did not expect MacKinnon to be restricted in his usage. Bednar also announced a netminding change, replacing Scott Wedgewood with Mackenzie Blackwood in an effort to spark the club. The moves were meant to shift momentum: MacKinnon led the NHL with 53 goals in the regular season but had not scored in the series, held without a 5-on-5 goal for 40:16. Bednar left Valeri Nichushkin’s status unclear after Nichushkin left Game 3 with a lower-body injury. Colorado held a team meeting to refocus, and Cale Makar said the group viewed the series as “far from over” and planned to stick to its process. The story noted the historical context that no team leading 3-0 in a best-of-seven comeback has ever erased that deficit, and Vegas had taken a 3-0 lead against the NHL’s top seed.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.