Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings
· National Hockey League
Martin Necas scores 2 goals, and the Avalanche rout the Kings 4-1 in a dominant season opener
Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen also scored during Colorado’s three-goal second period. Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves during a commanding performance by the Avalanche in their first game back from their disappointing first-round playoff exit to Dallas.
Kevin Fiala scored a power-play goal with 4:53 left for the Kings, who matched the franchise records for victories and points last season before their fourth consecutive first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 19 shots for Los Angeles, which made only a few changes under new general manager Ken Holland — but the defense-first club looked slow during the Avs' second period.
Anze Kopitar began his 20th and final NHL season after the Los Angeles captain announced his impending retirement last month.
Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog played in his first season opener since October 2021 and his first regular-season game since March 10, 2022. He missed the past three regular seasons due to multiple knee surgeries, only returning for the playoffs last April.
MacKinnon's first assist was his 1,016th point in 871 games, pushing him past Joe Sakic’s 1,015 points in 870 games for the Avalanche — although Sakic scored an additional 626 points before his Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver.
This game was played exactly 30 years after the Avalanche visited the Forum in Inglewood for their first road game following relocation.
Lehkonen made it 3-0 on a rebound after Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar made a stunning drive to the net. Necas added a power-play goal in the third.
The Kings surprised their fans by wearing a previously unannounced third jersey for the game after warming up in their regular home sweaters. The new jersey is black and silver with the historic crown logo blown up into the main crest.
Kings: At Golden Knights on Wednesday.
Regular Season SeriesCOL leads series 1-0
Scoring Summary
 |
Goal | 2nd Period 0:48 | Martin Necas Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Nathan MacKinnon (1), Artturi Lehkonen (1) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 7:00 | Sam Malinski Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: none |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 14:42 | Artturi Lehkonen Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Cale Makar (1), Nathan MacKinnon (2) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 10:43 | Martin Necas Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: Cale Makar (2), Brock Nelson (1) |
 |
Goal | 3rd Period 15:06 | Kevin Fiala Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Adrian Kempe (1), Anze Kopitar (1) |
Statistics
 COL |
 LA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Blocked Shots | 14 |
| 25 | Hits | 33 |
| 2 | Takeaways | 7 |
| 23 | Shots | 25 |
| 1 | Power Play Goals | 1 |
| 6 | Power Play Opportunities | 4 |
| 16.7 | Power Play Percentage | 25.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 27 | Faceoffs Won | 33 |
| 45.0 | Faceoff Win Percent | 55.0 |
| 17 | Giveaways | 19 |
| 5 | Total Penalties | 7 |
| 13 | Penalty Minutes | 17 |
Los Angeles Kings Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Anze Kopitar, C | Injured Reserve | Oct 21 |
| Kyle Burroughs, D | Injured Reserve | Oct 16 |
Colorado Avalanche Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Logan O'Connor, RW | Injured Reserve | Oct 21 |
| Mackenzie Blackwood, G | Out | Oct 20 |
| Joel Kiviranta, LW | Injured Reserve | Oct 18 |
| Samuel Girard, D | Injured Reserve | Oct 12 |
| Ronnie Attard, D | Injured Reserve | Oct 6 |
Game Information
crypto.com Arena
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 18,145 | Capacity:
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 18,145 | Capacity:
