Avalanche edge Kings
- The Colorado Avalanche beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 in Game 1 at Ball Arena. - That one-goal win gives Colorado an early 1-0 lead in a close Western series. - NHL playoff overtime remains full-strength sudden death, meaning any extra minute tonight will be traditional hockey until someone scores ( ).
Colorado opened its first-round series by beating Los Angeles 2-1 on Sunday at Ball Arena behind 24 saves from Scott Wedgewood in his first Stanley Cup playoff start. (nhl.com) Artturi Lehkonen put Colorado ahead at 15:29 of the second period, and Logan O’Connor doubled the lead in the third with his first goal in more than a year. Artemi Panarin scored the Kings’ only goal, and Anton Forsberg stopped 28 shots in his own playoff debut. (nhl.com) The result gives the Avalanche a 1-0 series lead before Game 2 on Tuesday, April 21, back in Denver. Colorado entered the matchup as the Presidents’ Trophy winner and the top seed in the Western Conference, while Los Angeles came in as the West’s second wild card. (nhl.com) The game also fit the style both teams are likely to see in this series: low scoring, narrow margins, and heavy pressure on goaltending. Colorado coach Jared Bednar said after Game 1 that Los Angeles is a “tight-checking team” that plays a high number of one-goal games. (denverpost.com) If a game in this series is tied after 60 minutes, the National Hockey League does not switch to regular-season shortcuts. Playoff overtime is full 20-minute, five-on-five sudden death, and teams keep playing periods until someone scores. (usatoday.com) That format matters more in a series like Avalanche-Kings, where Game 1 ended with one goal separating the teams and both clubs got playoff-debut starts from their goalies. Wedgewood settled after an early rush, and Los Angeles interim coach D.J. Smith said his team needed to be more physical in the next game. (nhl.com) Colorado’s opener was not built on the run-and-gun offense often associated with Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche. The Avalanche won a 2-1 game by limiting chance quality, getting a rebound goal from Lehkonen, and protecting the lead in the third period. (usatoday.com (nhl.com)) For Los Angeles, the margin was thin enough to keep the series from tilting early. Smith said after the loss that “there’s a lot of good things,” and Game 2 now arrives with the Kings trying to leave Denver tied instead of chasing the series from two games down. (nhl.com)
