Nathan MacKinnon scored twice during a four-goal second period and capped his night with a rare fight, leading the Colorado Avalanche to an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday night at Ball Arena in Denver. The game marked the debut of Peter Laviolette as the Kings’ head coach, while Colorado head coach Jared Bednar entered the matchup fresh off signing a four-year contract extension earlier in the day.
Colorado Avalanche Defeat Los Angeles Kings 8-4 in Season Opener
Colorado capitalized heavily on special teams in front of an announced attendance of 18,092, converting four power-play goals while yielding two short-term markers to the visitors. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 26 of 30 shots for the Avalanche. Across the ice, Darcy Kuemper endured a tough outing for Los Angeles, turning away 21 of 29 shots as the Kings were doubled up across every period with scores of 2-1, 4-2, and 2-1.
Special Teams and Second-Period Surge Propel Avalanche
Brock Nelson opened the scoring for Colorado at 6:33 of the first period on the power play, redirecting a loose puck past Kuemper after Jaden Schwartz’s cross-crease pass clipped the left post. Brian Dumoulin answered for Los Angeles at 15:14 with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that beat Blackwood glove-side through a screen by Alex Turcotte.
The game swung decisively in the middle frame. Just 23 seconds into the second period, MacKinnon struck on a 5-on-3 power play, one-timing a cross-slot pass short-side from the left circle off feeds from Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar. Joel Armia responded for the Kings at 1:28 with a short-handed wrist shot from the high slot that beat Blackwood under the glove, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
MacKinnon added his second of the night at 8:33, taking a drop pass from Martin Necas inside the left circle and roofing a wrist shot over Kuemper’s glove. Nicolas Roy made it 5-2 at 16:01 during a scramble in the crease, scoring while Kuemper was face down on the ice. Trevor Moore pulled Los Angeles closer with a short-handed goal at 17:50, bouncing a shot off Blackwood’s left shoulder from the right circle. However, Artturi Lehkonen answered 44 seconds later on the same power play by one-timing a centering pass from Nelson.
Late Penalties and Physical Play Seal the Opener
Artemi Panarin cut Colorado’s lead to 6-4 at 11:51 of the third period, coming off the bench as an extra attacker during a delayed penalty to score over Blackwood’s blocker off a pass from Drew Doughty. The physical intensity peaked shortly after when MacKinnon, whose last fight occurred four years prior, dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke with Colorado leading 6-4.
Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog capitalized less than a minute after the altercation, scoring off a rebound at 14:03 that deflected off the skate of Kings forward Quinton Byfield. Lehkonen iced the victory with his second power-play goal of the night at 15:06, assisted by Nelson and Devon Toews, securing the 8-4 final score.
“Obviously, the other unit really carried it tonight. Our unit’s got to get on the same page a little bit,” MacKinnon said of the power play. “I think guys are a little stuck kind of positionally, but luckily we have really good players on this team and they picked us up tonight. So, really fortunate for that.”
Kings forward Erik Haula assessed the road performance candidly after the final horn: “I think that’s a really tough one to assess. I think we took a little step back from maybe the last preseason game. I think we took a step forward offensively. It’s just, against that team and when you take that many penalties and make mistakes like that, they can really make you pay. And they sure did today. But offensively, on the road when you score four goals, you like your chances most nights.”
Colorado Avalanche vs. Los Angeles Kings Season Opener FAQ
Who scored the goals for the Colorado Avalanche in the season opener?
Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen scored two goals each.
How many power-play goals did Colorado score against Los Angeles?
The Avalanche capitalized four times on the power play during the 8-4 victory.
What was the goaltender breakdown for the game?
Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves for the Colorado Avalanche, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 of 29 shots for the Los Angeles Kings.
Who are the head coaches for both teams?
Jared Bednar coaches the Colorado Avalanche, while Peter Laviolette made his debut behind the bench as the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings.
Keep reading