Category: Sports News

After taking care of business and earning a 2-0 series lead as the games shifted into Los Angeles, the Colorado Avalanche continued to roll right along as they secured a 4-2 win over the Kings, and a 3-0 series lead with the possibility to complete the sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Let’s take a look at the action from tonight!

First Period

It didn’t take long for Gabriel Landeskog to get the scoring started for the Avs on a really flukey goal. Landeskog shot the puck from the top of the offensive zone, and the puck bounced off the boards, off of Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg’s skate, and into the back of the net. With that score Colorado enjoyed a 1-0 first period lead which would carry into the first intermission.

Second Period

The Kings would tie the game at 1-1 early in the second period with a flukey goal of their own, as a shot deflected off of Trevor Moore, who was tied up with Josh Manson, and went into the back of the Avalanche net.

Los Angeles had hope in this game for about six minutes but then Cale Makar would give Colorado the lead once again, as a seeing-eye shot found its way past Forsberg, beating him cleanly and giving the Avs a 2-1 lead, which is how the second period would end.

Third Period

Early in the third period the Kings had another opportunity to tie the game with a power play but Artturi Lehkonen erased that possibility as he would make it 3-1 Colorado on a shorthanded goal, as he was able to beat Forsberg through the five-hole with Logan O’Connor streaking towards the net.

Los Angeles would get another power play opportunity late in the third period, and they would convert on the opportunity for the third time in the series by pulling the goaltender to go 6-on-4. Adrian Kempe would tip the puck past Scott Wedgewood off a shot from Artemi Panarin.

Still, it wasn’t enough to rattle the Avalanche as Brock Nelson would simply score an empty net goal for Colorado after that, putting them back up by two goals, securing a 4-2 win, and a commanding 3-0 series lead for the Avalanche

Takeaways

That game looked and felt more like Avalanche hockey. Finally, they were able to break through more on offense than they were able to do in the first couple of games despite getting outshot 26-23. I’m sure it’s been said before, but it wasn’t exactly a secret that the Kings wanted to play the defensive, muck-it-up game that they’ve been playing this series. That’s what they’re good at, and how they’re successful, so the first two games ending up the way they did weren’t all that surprising.

Instead, what has pleasantly surprised me is Colorado’s willingness, seemingly, to play this way with the Kings instead of the other way around, and being patient and playing with them has paid off so far, clearly. They’ve been the better team this series (minus the power play, which is officially 0/7 this series), and were rewarded for it more tonight, as they were finally able to beat Forsberg a few more times tonight than they were in the first two games. Now, they have the opportunity to close this series out on Sunday in LA.

Upcoming

Colorado takes on the Kings for Game 4 of this first-round series looking for the sweep on Sunday, April 26. Puck drop will be at 2:30 p.m. MT.

It was another close game between the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche in Game 3, and it was shaping up to be another exciting finish. After that disappointing loss on Tuesday at Denver, where the Kings held a 1-0 lead for nearly a minute in the final frame before losing in overtime as a result of an Avs game-winner, this next game at Crypto.com Arena was their biggest of the season, as they looked to avoid going down 3-0. 

Kings’ Defensive Gem Wasted As Avalanche Steal Game 2 In OvertimeIn a game where their defense did everything right, the Kings’ inability to capitalize on prime scoring chances proved costly, wasting a chance to steal momentum in Denver.

But, just as the Kings tied up the game 1-1 midway through the second period, they failed to add on to their goal with several minutes of puck possession and a power play, giving the Avs multiple chances to retake the lead and never look back. 

After a slow start for Colorado on offense, they eventually picked it up, scoring late in the second period and third period to hold onto a 4-2 victory to put the Kings in a 3-0 series hole.

Final from DTLA. #GoKingsgopic.twitter.com/vHSanXSLta

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 24, 2026

Going down 3-0 is nearly impossible to overcome, especially against this Avs team, which is the best offensive team in the NHL, and only four teams have ever come back from it. 

The Kings did have a solid start on offense to start this time, outshooting the Avalanche 12-7 in the opening period for the first time in this series after 20 minutes.

It was the most in-control Los Angeles has been to start this series, playing more aggressively on offense and getting more shots inside, yet they trailed 1-0 after the first period. 

Colorado's only goal in the first period was a very lucky one: after a missed shot, the puck bounced off the end boards, slid back, and deflected off Anton Forsberg's right skate and in.  

It wasn't enough just to be playing well if you're the Kings, given the opponent. With Los Angeles getting on the power play again, it was another missed opportunity for them, coming up short again. 

Los Angeles is now 3/11 on the power play in the first three games of this series and has held Colorado to 0/9 in the three games, doing a great job at defending the best offense in the NHL, but can't capitalize on their troubles. 

The Avs arguably played one of their worst periods of the game, but were still leading because of LA's inability to execute and capitalize on Colorado's missed shots. 

To open the second period, off a Colorado turnover, Los Angeles converted on their first goal of the game to tie the scoreboard 1-1. Forward Trevor Moore continued his impressive play in the playoffs, scoring on the cross-ice feed from Quinton Byfield.

THE THOUSAND OAKS NATIVE TIES IT pic.twitter.com/oSUQt2nX74

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 24, 2026

After the goal, Colorado received a penalty after committing a high stick on Moore just as he scored the goal, resulting in a double minor, giving Los Angeles its second power play of the night. 

However, the Kings didn't score on the power play, leaving the door wide open for Colorado to score. Since scoring the goal, LA had control of the puck for nearly seven minutes, but couldn't score. 

And the President Trophy winners did what they do when you leave the door open for them. At the 7:48 mark of the second period, Cale Makar, one of the best players at creating open lanes, fired the puck through traffic to give the Avs a one-goal lead again, scoring his first goal of the series. 

This is what's troubled LA throughout this series so far: the games have been close, and the opportunities have been there for the Kings to score, but elite goaltending by Scott Wedgewood and the Avs defensive pressure make it tough. 

For the rest of the period, the Kings generated good shots from Alex Laferriere and Joel Edmundson, with clean shots to potentially tie the game, but, as the story of this series has been so far, they couldn't find the puck in the net. 

2-1 Colorado through 40 minutes.

No one closer than Alex Laferriere across these three games. Just can't buy one. Two good looks late, Wedgewood with a great right-pad save on the second.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 24, 2026

At the 12:21 mark of the third period, after forward Artemi Panarin set up Adrian Kempe in the power play for a one-timer, Kempe turned the puck over, setting up for a 2-on-1 rush advantage for Colorado, and Artturi Lehkonen slid the puck past Forsberg to give the Avs a two-goal lead. 

Kempe has been one of the Kings' most disappointing players to start the playoffs. After a hot stretch in the final stretch of the regular season, he has completely struggled and been frustrated in this series.

Colorado did a good job amping up its defensive intensity in the final period, forcing turnovers and suffocating the Kings in transition, making it tough for the home team to generate shots on goal. 

Los Angeles converted on their first power play goal of the night, scoring their third straight power play goal in this series. Panarin hit Kempe with a shot-pass at the right crease, deflecting off Kempe to pull LA within one. 

LAK Goal - PPanarin!

Three games in a row with a power-play goal for Panarin, or it might've been a Kempe deflection. Either way, 3-2 game with 4:03 on the clock.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 24, 2026

However, the one-goal deficit didn't last long; Colorado forced a turnover, leading to an easy empty-net goal by center Brock Nelson to put the game away and take a commanding 3-0 series lead. 

Key Stats

For most of the game, LA looked a lot better at home tonight than in its first two games in Denver, once again getting good looks but missing out on opportunities. The Kings also struggled on the power play again, finishing 1/4, and had a chance to build on their lead late in the second period with a power play, but failed to do so. 

Forsberg had a solid game tonight, finishing with 19 saves on 22 shots, coming up with big saves again, but this time the Avs were much better on offense. Credit Wedgewood for making it so tough on the Kings' offense to get any easy goals or shots. 

Kempe and Moore scored the lone goals for LA, keeping the game close with each of their goals coming late in the second and third period. But the others couldn't help on offense to make the game more interesting late in the game. 

LA is now down 3-0 in this series, heading into Game 4, which could be their final game of the season, and also Anze Kopitar's final game in his career. 

The Kings will play Game 4 on Sunday at 1:30 PM PT looking to avoid a sweep. 

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The Colorado Avalanche rode swagger, poise and the league’s stingiest goaltender to the best record in the NHL this season. And nothing about that formula has changed in the postseason, with goals from Gabriel Landeskog, Cale Makar, Artturi Lehkonen and Brock Nelson giving Colorado a 4-2 win Thursday over the Kings and a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

The Kings, who have lost their last six first-round playoff series, need a victory at home Sunday to extend their season. Their goals in Game 3 came from Trevor Moore in the second period and Adrian Kempe on a third-period power play.

“They’re best team in the league for a reason. But we're right there,” forward Quinton Byfield said. “We're a confident group.”

“One game at home. Must-win game,” defenseman Drew Doughty added. “Everyone's going to give everything they’ve got. We’ve got to win that one, and then hopefully get to go back to Denver.”

The difference in the series has been Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood, who was nearly perfect again, making 24 saves to place the Kings 60 minutes away from the offseason.

Anton Forsberg, playing in the postseason for the first time, has been almost as good in goal for the Kings, though he was victimized by two fluke goals and an empty-netter.

“Both goalies in the series have been unbelievable,” Kings coach D.J. Smith said. “Give Wedgewood credit. This guy looks like he's putting his name on the circuit as a big-time goalie.”

The Avalanche, who certainly haven’t needed many lucky breaks in this series, got one early in the first period when Landeskog spun and launched a wild wrister from the blue line that went well wide of the net, only to have the puck carom off the end boards and into the net off Forsberg’s right skate blade.

The goal was the second in as many games for the Colorado captain.

The Kings then got their own break six minutes into the second period when Alex Laferriere jumped Brett Kulak’s clearing pass in the neutral jump and fed Byfield, whose pass into the crease struck Moore’s leg and ricocheted past Wedgewood to tie the score.

Colorado needed less than seven minutes to get the lead back, with Makar getting the puck along the boards on the left wing, skating into space at the point, then zipping a wrist shot through heavy traffic and just under the crossbar.

The Avalanche then increased the advantage 7:39 in the final period after Kempe fanned a shot from the point. Lehkonen collected the loose puck and took it the length of the ice before deflecting a centering pass off Kempe’s skate and by Forsberg for a short-handed goal, his second score of the series.

That appeared to put the game away, but after the Kings pulled Forsberg for an extra attacker, Kempe halved the deficit on a tip-in with 4:02 to play. But then Nelson forced a turnover and scored into the empty net with 2:18 left.

The six goals combined matched the total number from the first two games in Colorado.

“We’ve got to keep doing a lot of the things that we are doing,” Doughty said. “Obviously, we got to clean up giving up some of these chances that we're giving up.”

The Kings’ penalty kill, which ranked 30th in the 32-team league during the regular season, has been brilliant against the Avalanche, turning back all nine Colorado power plays. That, plus stellar play for Forsberg in goal, has frustrated the NHL’s top-scoring team.

But against Wedgewood, the Kings have mustered little offense, scoring just four goals in the series — three times on the power play and once off Moore’s leg.

“We'd like to get more than two goals. Against this team, I don't think it's enough,” Doughty said. “I don't think we're creating enough grade-A chances on Wedgewood. He has played well, so for us to beat them, we’ve got to wear them down in the D-zone, make them tired and score goals that way. And we haven't done that enough.”

They’re guaranteed just one more chance to turn that around.

“There's no quit in there,” Smith said of the Kings’ locker room. “And I think you'll see our best game. To a man, we want to give them a real good outing and push this series back to Colorado.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

As the scenery changes to Salt Lake City, and the upset-minded Utah Mammoth have their sights set on pushing the Golden Knights out of the playoffs, there are three players Vegas could certainly use a boost from three of their biggest offensive stars.

Since the start of the playoffs, Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl and Mitch Marner have a total of five points - all assists.

Not a good sign, considering they were the third, fourth and fifth leading goal scorers during the regular season, respectively.

Here is some insight into those three who can impact Games 3 and 4 in Salt Lake City, and help the Knights potentially bring a 3-1 series lead back to Vegas.

JACK EICHEL - A key figure in the Knights' championship run in 2023, Eichel started that postseason with just one point after two games, a similar split in Vegas, where the Knights and Winnipeg Jets each won a game. It was Game 3 that he turned in three points, with two goals and an assist. He went on to register at least one point in 14 of Vegas' final 20 games (6 goals, 20 assists). Since their move to Salt Lake City, Eichel has two goals and four assists in six games against the Mammoth.

TOMAS HERTL - After registering just one assist during a 15-game stretch late in the season, Hertl had an assist in three of the last four regular-season games. Last year in the opening round of the playoffs he had just one goal against the Dallas Stars, but then turned in three goals and two assists in the series against the Minnesota Wild. Overall, in 20 playoff games with Vegas, he has four goals and three assists. In six career games against the Mammoth, he has only two goals and one assist.

MITCH MARNER - The prized offseason acquisition got hot in April, after coach John Tortorella arrived, recording four goals and five assists to help the Knights during the season-ending run. He does have an assist in each of the first two games in this series, but the Knights would benefit from a goal or two while they're on the road. Whether or not he can pull it off in Games 3 and 4 remains to be seen since he barely scored on the road during the regular season. Marner ranked fifth on the team with 29 road points, but was ninth with just five goals away from Vegas. During his playoff career, Marner has 65 points (13 goals, 52 assists) in 72 games.

PHOTO CAPTION - Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) celebrates with right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16), defenseman Shea Theodore (27), center Tomas Hertl (48), right wing Mark Stone (61) and right wing Mitch Marner (93) after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose.

The Ottawa Senators had to finish their Game 3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes without key defenseman Jake Sanderson after an illegal hit to the head.

Carolina's Taylor Hall received a two-minute penalty for Thursday's hit, which sent Sanderson's helmet flying. Sanderson, who also blocked a shot with his hand, played two more shifts before heading down the tunnel during a power play.

Senators coach Travis Green told reporters that the hit to the head was what caused the defenseman to leave the game.

"I just don't understand how there's not a five-minute major called on the hit to the head," he said. "It's a blatant hit to the head, the kind of hits you don't want to see.

This is a brutal hit by Taylor Hall on Sanderson, which got two minutes for an illegal check to the head.

Cut across front of body and head was main point of contact pic.twitter.com/BuoER6ympE

— NHL Review (@nhl_review) April 24, 2026

"It's ridiculous there wasn't a review. They called a review on (Senators captain) Brady (Tkachuk) on a penalty that I don't even know what the penalty was, and they totally miss a review on (Hall)."

Sanderson, who won a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics, was the Senators' top-scoring defenseman with 54 points in the regular season. He has two assists in the playoffs and played 43 minutes in Ottawa's double-overtime loss in Game 2.

For a second straight season, the Ottawa Senators have opened the Stanley Cup Playoffs with three straight losses. They fell 2–1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, and now trail their first-round best-of-seven series three games to none.

Jackson Blake scored late in the second period to give Carolina a slim 2–1 advantage, but it somehow felt insurmountable on this night—much like a 5–1 game.

Blake scored just 1:23 after Drake Batherson had tied the game at one on a slick feed from Nick Cousins. That goal sent the Canadian Tire Centre crowd into a frenzy and should have given the Senators momentum heading into the second intermission.

But Blake’s goal absolutely sucked the life out of the building.

K’Andre Miller was left wide open at the left point and walked right in. Logan Stankoven drove hard to the net, knocking over Thomas Chabot, which left Blake all the time he needed to corral a cross-ice pass from Miller and bury it into the open net.

Stankoven had the other Canes' goal and now has three in as many games.

Taylor Hall helped set up both of Carolina’s goals, but his most damaging blow to the Senators was his direct headshot on defenceman Jake Sanderson. Sanderson tried to stay in the game but eventually left and did not return. Hall dropped a shoulder into Sanderson, making primary contact with the side of his head and creating the kind of rotational force that can often leads to more severe concussion symptoms.

In all likelihood, had Sanderson stayed down the way Jordan Martinook did later in the game after a collision with Brady Tkachuk, it might have led to a review and a major penalty for Hall. 

Senators head coach Travis Green said he’d be shocked if the league doesn’t take further action.

“I just don’t understand how there’s not a five-minute major called on the hit to the head,” Green said. “It’s a blatant hit to the head. It’s the kind of hit you don’t want to see. I think it’s ridiculous there wasn’t a review. They call a review on Brady on a penalty that… I don’t even know what the penalty was.”

In reality, even if Hall had been assessed a more severe penalty, the Senators’ power play likely wouldn’t have capitalized. In the second period, Ottawa had five power-play chances, including a 5-on-3 for 1:28, and came away with nothing.

While it’s tempting for Senators fans to rip the team apart right now, it should also be noted that the Hurricanes are playing a different level of hockey. The Senators entered these playoffs likely prepared for a team like the 2024–25 Toronto Maple Leafs, but the 2026 Carolina Hurricanes are a different animal, playing an elevated, frustrating style of postseason hockey that Ottawa just hasn’t been able to match, despite its best efforts.

The Senators will try to avoid a four-game sweep on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News