Kings fall to Avalanche in Game 1 of Western Conference 1st Round
The Los Angeles Kings fell short in Game 1 in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs, losing to the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1 on Sunday.
Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) checks Colorado Avalanche center Nicolas Roy (10) in the first period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. DENVER -- The Los Angeles Kings dropped Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round to the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 at Ball Arena on Sunday. For the first time in five years, the Los Angeles Kings did not open the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a divisional showdown against the Edmonton Oilers.
However, they did start the postseason with a date against the Presidents' Trophy winner, a team who finished the regular season with 121 points. Despite owning the third-worst penalty kill in the NHL and facing the league's most dynamic offense that features that top goal scorer in Nathan MacKinnon, Los Angeles held Colorado scoreless on four power-play opportunities. "It's a chess match," Mikey Anderson said.
"It's nice to build on that and hopefully carry that forward. " Colorado got the scoring started when Artturi Lehkonen collected a rebound off the stick of MacKinnon and sweep it past Forsberg with 4:31 left in the second period. The assist marked MacKinnon's 71st in his 96th career postseason game.
The Avalanche doubled the lead in the early stages of the third period when Joel Edmundson mishandled the puck in the Kings defensive zone, allowing Logan O'Connor, who did not record a goal in the regular season, to swoop up the loose puck and race defenseman Cody Ceci to the front of the net before flipping one over Forsberg's glove. Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche right wing Logan O'Connor (25) celebrates his goal in the third period against the Los Angeles Kings in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche right wing Logan O'Connor (25) celebrates his goal in the third period against the Los Angeles Kings in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena.