DENVER — The Vegas Golden Knights made a statement Friday night, and it wasn’t about settling for a split. They wanted both games in Denver, and they got them.

With a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena, the Golden Knights seized a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final, silencing a building that had seen its team go 41-0 when leading after two periods in the regular season.

“Obviously we knew they were going to push tonight after (Game 1), and I thought we handled it well and stayed composed and had a great third period,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “Definitely something to build off of. We need to take advantage of home ice now.”

Game 3 is Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena, where the atmosphere figures to be electric. The Knights are two wins from reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

Third-period magic strikes again

Down 1-0 entering the third period, the Knights flipped the script. Jack Eichel, who hadn’t scored since Game 3 of the first round against Utah, tied the game at 1-1 with 10:45 remaining. Just two minutes later, Ivan Barbashev put Vegas ahead, and he added an empty-net goal to seal it.

“They won’t,” Knights coach John Tortorella said when asked if his team might get caught up in the series lead. “I guarantee you we won’t. I don’t have to say anything to them. They understand the situation.”

The Avalanche dominated the second period but couldn’t extend their 1-0 lead, thanks in large part to goaltender Carter Hart, who was sharp throughout. The Knights also blocked numerous shots and frustrated Colorado’s volume shooters.

Grit and resolve

Vegas played most of the game without captain Mark Stone and Jeremy Lauzon, both injured. Defenseman Brayden McNabb missed most of the first period and all of the second due to injury, forcing the Knights to use five defensemen for extended stretches.

“We found a way,” Tortorella said. “I thought the key part was when we were struggling in the second period, we still went into the locker room just down 1-0. We felt we were in a good spot.”

The Knights have now won all three games on the road this postseason when trailing after two periods. They continue to find late-game heroics, a hallmark of their season.

“It’s far from over, and we know that,” Hanifin said. “It’s a long series, and they’re a great team over there and we have to stay even-keeled.”