The LA Kings opened the 2026-27 season with an 8-4 defeat on Wednesday evening against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver.
The Avalanche opened the scoring with a power-play goal 6:33 into the game, to take an early 1-0 lead. The Kings killed off the bulk of their first penalty of the season, but the Colorado second unit struck late. A centering feed by Jaden Schwartz missed its intended target but forward Brock Nelson collected the pass at the back post and finished from a tight angle, putting the hosts ahead 1-0 early.
Los Angeles tied the game at one late in the first period, as defenseman Brian Dumoulin scored the first Kings goal of the season. Forward Alex Laferriere drew a pair of defenders to him, as he rounded the net with possession, before he exchanged the puck with Dumoulin at the point. Dumoulin walked into the left-hand circle and ripped a shot past Colorado goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood and in for the 1-1 score.
After the Kings were unable to convert on their second power play of the game, Colorado went the other way, 2-on-1, to take a one-goal lead into the first intermission. After Drew Doughty’s point shot was deflected off the glass, the Avalanche rimmed another deflected puck out of the zone, springing forward Parker Kelly down the right wing. Kelly kept the puck himself and beat Darcy Kuemper to put the hosts ahead 2-1, a goal that came at even strength, three seconds after the expiration of the penalty.
Colorado won the opening faceoff in the second period and went to work, with a 5-on-3 power play that had carried over from the first. Forward Nazem Kadri, operating down low, below the goal line, fed a seam pass to forward Nathan MacKinnon in the left-hand circle and the Colorado forward hammered a one-timer past Kuemper and in, putting the hosts ahead by a pair.
Kings forward Joel Armia pulled the goal back almost immediately, however, as he scored a shorthanded tally to bring the visitors within 3-2. Armia made a nice move to get into the neutral zone and after the play broke up a bit, he regained possession and used a toe drag at the offensive blueline to enter the attacking end. From the high slot, he beat Blackwood clean with a wrist shot, his first goal of the season, as the Kings pulled back to one down.
Midway through the second period, MacKinnon scored his second goal of the evening to put the Avalanche back ahead by a pair. MacKinnon and forward Martin Necas crossed over in the neutral zone, before gaining the offensive blue line with possession. Necas dropped the puck into MacKinnon’s wheelhouse and he buried the goal, high glove side, for the 4-2 advantage.
Late in the middle frame, Colorado extended its lead to three goals, as forward Nicolas Roy got in on the scoring. Kuemper made the initial save and Avalanche forward Jaden Schwartz was right in the crease on the rebound, but appeared to be pushed, and ultimately wound up behind Kuemper in the crease. Roy buried the rebound from close range with just under four minutes to play for a 5-2 lead.
Again, the Kings bounced back with a shorthanded goal, this time off the stick of forward Trevor Moore, to pull within a pair once again. After defenseman Mikey Anderson deflected the puck high in the air, Moore was first to react, resulting in a 2-on-1 rush the other direction. He kept the puck himself and beat Blackwood clean with a shot in transition, the second Los Angeles shorthanded marker of the game, to make it 5-3.
On the same power play, however, Colorado converted to restore the three-goal advantage heading into the second intermission. Forward Artturi Lehkonen found a soft spot inside the Kings on the penalty kill and forward Brock Nelson picked him out with a touch pass, which Lehkonen buried from between the circles for a 6-3 lead through 40 minutes.
The Kings opened the scoring in the third period, capitalizing on a 6-on-5 situation with a delayed penalty. Forward Artemi Panarin was the extra attacker over the boards as the Kings held possession in the offensive zone. Defenseman Drew Doughty worked the puck to Panarin in the slot and he beat Blackwood through traffic from distance to bring the visitors within 6-4.
Following the Panarin goal, MacKinnon and Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke dropped the gloves in the Los Angeles defensive zone. MacKinnon slashed Clarke around the ankles and threw his helmet after the fight, both uncalled penalties, which would have put the Kings on a power play down by a pair.
Instead, Colorado scored the final two goals of the game, a power-play goal and one at even strength, to arrive at the final score of 8-4. Gabriel Landeskog scored a 5-on-5 goal, shortly before the final media timeout and Lehkonen added his second power-play goal of the game, Colorado’s fourth, to bring the game to a close.
Hear from Anderson, Haula and Head Coach Peter Laviolette after tonight’s defeat.
