The Colorado Avalanche made their playoff entrance with a nail-biting 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on Sunday, grabbing Game 1 and home-ice momentum while still needing every last second to close it out. Artturi Lehkonen broke a scoreless deadlock late in the second period, Logan O'Connor added what turned out to be the game winner early in the third, and Scott Wedgewood delivered under pressure in his first postseason start. The Kings answered with a late power-play strike but ran out of real estate on the clock.
Lehkonen opened the scoring at 15:29 of the second when he pounced on a rebound created by Nathan MacKinnon’s right-circle shot, and O'Connor doubled the lead at 5:50 of the third on a rush and top-shelf finish, according to the Colorado Avalanche recap. MacKinnon and Jack Drury each picked up assists on the goals.
O'Connor’s third-period tally was his first since March 31, 2025, after he missed much of the season with a hip injury, as reported by The Associated Press. Wedgewood turned aside 24 of 25 shots in his first Stanley Cup Playoff start, while Los Angeles goaltender Anton Forsberg made 28 saves in his own postseason debut.
Wedgewood Steadies The Net
Handed the crease over Mackenzie Blackwood, Wedgewood backed up the decision with calm, positionally sound work, especially in the frantic closing minutes of the third period. His timely stops were cited as a key difference-maker in Denver’s series-opening win, per the Colorado Avalanche.
Late Push Falls Short
Artemi Panarin pulled the Kings within one on a power-play shot with 2:22 remaining, tightening things in a hurry. Any hope of a full comeback took a hit when Joel Armia was whistled for high-sticking shortly after, stalling Los Angeles’ final push as Colorado saw out the result. The intensity spiked in the third period as the game turned more physical. Cale Makar was shoved from behind by Adrian Kempe and Gabriel Landeskog later dropped the gloves with Kempe, and officials handed out roughing penalties in the late-game scrums, The Associated Press notes.
Series Notes
Game 2 is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. MT back at Ball Arena, with the series then shifting to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4 at Crypto.com Arena later in the week, according to the LA Kings. Colorado now carries a 1-0 series lead into the quick turnaround.
At Ball Arena
Postgame scenes showed Avalanche fans lingering to celebrate the narrow win, soaking in a tense opener that ended just the way the home crowd wanted. A Denver Post photo gallery captures the atmosphere and on-ice reactions after the final horn at Ball Arena. The Denver Post has a collection of images from the night.
