Avalanche Hold Off Kings 2-1 in Game 1 Opener

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April 20, 2026

The Colorado Avalanche held off the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Sunday. The Game 1 win came in the Western Conference First Round at Ball Arena. Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut for the Avalanche. Artturi Lehkonen and Logan O’Connor scored for Colorado in the victory.

O’Connor’s Third-Period Goal Gave Colorado Breathing Room

Lehkonen opened the scoring for Colorado at 15:29 of the second period. Lehkonen converted a Nathan MacKinnon rebound past Anton Forsberg for the 1-0 lead. O’Connor doubled the Avalanche lead at 5:50 of the third period. O’Connor beat Cody Ceci with speed before sending a wrist shot short side past Forsberg. O’Connor had not scored since returning on March 24 from June 2025 hip surgery.

Artemi Panarin cut the Los Angeles Kings deficit to 2-1 on a power play at 17:38 of the third. Panarin fired a wrist shot from high in the zone through traffic past Wedgewood. Anton Forsberg stopped 28 shots for the Kings in his first Stanley Cup Playoff game. Nathan MacKinnon assisted on the Lehkonen goal for Colorado.

The Colorado Avalanche entered the playoffs as the Presidents’ Trophy winner and top Western seed. The Los Angeles Kings entered as the second wild card from the West. Colorado hosts Los Angeles for Game 2 at Ball Arena on Tuesday.