Avalanche edge Kings
- The Colorado Avalanche won Game 1 at Ball Arena, beating the Los Angeles Kings 2‑1 in their first‑round matchup. - The one‑goal result gave Colorado a 1‑0 series lead in a tight opener. - Coverage noted how playoff overtime rules (no shootouts, full‑strength sudden death) make these close wins especially significant ( ).
Colorado opened its first-round series by beating Los Angeles 2-1 on April 19 at Ball Arena, with Scott Wedgewood stopping 24 shots in his first Stanley Cup playoff start. (apnews.com) Artturi Lehkonen scored at 15:29 of the second period, and Logan O’Connor added the winner 5:50 into the third for the Avalanche. Artemi Panarin scored on a late Kings power play with 2:22 left in regulation. (hockey-reference.com) The win gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round matchup. The Kings’ official recap said neither team scored in the first period before Colorado built a 2-0 edge. (nhl.com) Wedgewood’s start stood out because it was his first in the postseason, and he turned aside 24 of 25 shots. Nathan MacKinnon had an assist on Lehkonen’s goal, and Jack Drury assisted on O’Connor’s. (nhl.com) One-goal games carry extra weight in this round because playoff overtime does not use the regular season’s three-on-three format or a shootout. If teams are tied after 60 minutes, they keep playing full 20-minute, five-on-five sudden-death periods until someone scores. (usatoday.com) That format changes how teams protect late leads. Colorado avoided overtime entirely Sunday, even after Brock Nelson’s high-sticking penalty at 17:03 of the third period gave Los Angeles a late power play that produced Panarin’s goal. (hockey-reference.com) Colorado entered the playoffs as the Presidents’ Trophy winner with 121 points, according to pregame coverage. That made the Avalanche the top seed in the West and gave them home ice for Game 1 in Denver. (msn.com) Los Angeles still got a strong night from goaltender Anton Forsberg, who stopped 28 of 30 shots in the loss. The final margin stayed at one goal despite Colorado finishing with 30 shots to the Kings’ 25. (hockey-reference.com) Game 1 ended in regulation, but it looked like the kind of series where a single bounce could decide a night. Colorado got the first one and the first lead in the matchup. (apnews.com)
