A horrific crash leaves John Tortorella facing a nasty Vegas problem

The timing is nasty.

Howden has not been a passenger in this run. He entered the moment with 9 playoff goals and 11 points in 13 games, turning a bottom-six role into real series leverage.

That matters more against Colorado than it would against most teams.

The Avalanche came into this matchup with 121 points and a plus-99 goal differential, so Vegas cannot lose cheap-zone exits, pressure shifts, or shorthanded pushback.

The clip shows Howden sliding hard into the wall, grabbing at his lower body, and staying down while the play moves away.

This is where Tortorella's bench gets squeezed.

Howden's playoff value is not just the 9 goals. It is the way he lets Vegas survive heavy minutes without turning every defensive shift into a retreat.

He is also a +6 this spring with 3 shorthanded goals, which changes how opponents handle loose pucks at the blue line.

Without him, Vegas loses a forechecker who can punish one lazy pass and flip the rink in two strides.

That forces Tortorella into a deployment choice. He can protect the replacement and lean harder on his top six, or spread the minutes and risk Colorado finding a soft matchup.

Neither option is clean.

Howden had 12 goals and 22 points in 58 regular-season games, then found another gear when the series pressure rose.

That is why this cannot be treated as just another injury scare.

Vegas finished 39-26-17 with 95 points, and the margin against Colorado was already thin. If Howden misses time, the Knights lose a scorer, a PK threat, and one of their few playoff momentum thieves.

The only good news is that Vegas came away with the win in Game 1.

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