Avs take series opener against L.A. Kings
(DENVER) — It was a grind it out kind of hockey game, but the President’s Trophy winners stood up to the challenge to open the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Both head coaches felt their teams played well tonight but Avs coach Jared Bednar was not surprised by the the way game one unfolded. “I think that’s the kind of game you can expect,” Bednar said.
“It’s (Kings) a tight checking team. ” The Avalanche were putting up the higher volume of chances but could not break through in the first 30 minutes of this one. Meanwhile, the Kings held tough and missed grade a chances to take the lead.
Colorado also had a Logan O’Connor goal disallowed with Jack Drury called for goaltender interference on the play. But eventually, the Avs broke through with Arturri Lehkonen breaking the ice in the second period. O’Connor would find his goal eventually in the third to double the lead before Scott Wedgewood shut the door with 24 saves and was the game’s first star.
The Avalanche will look to take a 2-0 series lead on Tuesday night in game two before heading to Los Angeles for games three and four. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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