It was the season opener for each team.
Artturi Lehkonen also scored twice, Brock Nelson had a goal and two assists, and Parker Kelly had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche. Jaden Schwartz, Nazem Kadri, Cale Makar and Devon Toews each had two assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves.
Joel Armia and Trevor Moore each scored a short-handed goal for the Kings, who were playing their first game under coach Peter Laviolette. Alex Laferriere had two assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves.
Nelson scored a power-play goal to give Colorado a 1-0 lead at 6:33 of the first period. Schwartz’s cross-crease saucer pass couldn't be swatted in by Lehkonen, but the puck landed on the stick of Nelson, who scored with a shot that hit off the left post and the back of Kuemper before going in.
Brian Dumoulin tied it 1-1 at 15:14 with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that went glove side through a screen by Alex Turcotte.
Kelly put Colorado back in front 2-1 at 17:58. He recovered a clearing attempt up the boards from Josh Manson, skated in on a 2-on-1 with Fedor Svechkov, and buried a wrist shot from the right circle three seconds after a power play expired for the Kings.
MacKinnon extended the lead to 3-1 with a power-play goal 23 seconds into the second period. He one-timed Kadri’s cross-slot pass short side from the left circle while on a 5-on-3.
On the ensuing 5-on-4 power play, Armia was able to cut the lead to 3-2 with a short-handed goal at 1:28. He skated into the high slot and beat Blackwood under his glove with a wrist shot.
MacKinnon scored his second of the period to make it 4-2 at 8:33. Martin Necas dropped him a pass inside the left circle, and he roofed it far side over Kuemper's glove.
Nicolas Roy pushed the lead to 5-2 at 16:01, chipping a loose puck over Kuemper, who was sprawled on the ice following a scramble in the crease.
Moore closed the gap to 5-3 with another short-handed goal at 17:50. He located a tipped puck that went airborne at the right wall, skated it down on a 2-on-1 with Scott Laughton, and scored off the left shoulder of Blackwood from the right circle.
Lehkonen scored during the same power play to make it 6-3 at 18:34. He one-timed a centering pass from Nelson in the high slot.
Artemi Panarin got the Kings to within 6-4 at 11:51 of the third period. He came off the bench as the extra attacker during a delayed penalty, took a pass from Drew Doughty at the blue line, and cut toward the middle before scoring over the blocker of Blackwood, who never went down.
Gabriel Landeskog made it 7-4 at 14:03. Makar’s initial attempt on a 3-on-2 rush went wide of the net, but the rebound came off the end wall to Landeskog, who scored off skate of Kings forward Quinton Byfield at the left post.
Lehkonen scored another power-play goal at 15:06 for the 8-4 final.
