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Center Ross Colton (20) of the Colorado Avalanche takes a shot at the goal during the second period of Game 4 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

Avalanche never cracked, despite Kings’ best efforts, in impressive series sweep to open Stanley Cup run

By Corey Masisak

April 27, 2026 at 4:31 p.m.

Rarely does a 10-second clip inside a hockey game tell the story of an entire...

Center Nathan MacKinnon (29) of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of Game 4 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

PHOTOS: Colorado Avalanche beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1, sweeping the first round of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

By Timothy Hurst

April 26, 2026 at 6:45 p.m.

The Colorado Avalanche beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1, sweeping the first round of the...

Center Nathan MacKinnon (29) of the Colorado Avalanche skates around the net during the first period of Game 4 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

Keeler: Avalanche sent Dallas, Minnesota message with sweep of Kings. Nathan MacKinnon will hit you back.

April 27, 2026 at 12:29 a.m.

MacKinnon, who led the Avs with two goals and three points, sent a message from...

Center Nathan MacKinnon (29) of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of Game 4 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

Avalanche finally breaks one open, sweeps the Kings in four games

By Corey Masisak

April 26, 2026 at 7:43 p.m.

Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and added an assist, while Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves to...

Left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) of the Colorado Avalanche congratulates goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) after a 4-2 Avalanche win in Game 3 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

Keeler: Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood is on an NHL Playoffs run Colorado hasn’t seen since Patrick Roy

April 26, 2026 at 6:00 a.m.

He's taken Patrick Roy to the Wedgewoodshed. He's chucked Philipp Grubauer, Jose Theodore, Alexandar Georgiev...

Defenseman Nick Blankenburg (37) of the Colorado Avalanche takes a shot during a practice on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

Avalanche’s Josh Manson ‘unlikely’ for Game 4, Nick Blankenburg likely to make NHL Playoffs debut

By Corey Masisak

April 25, 2026 at 4:27 p.m.

Transitions can be tough around the trade deadline, but it was a particularly tricky one...

Center Anze Kopitar (11) of the Los Angeles Kings looks on before a face off during Game 3 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

How Kings ended up in NHL’s mushy middle after Stanley Cup triumphs is a case study for other clubs

By Corey Masisak

April 25, 2026 at 1:14 p.m.

Los Angeles had found a solid group of younger players to help Anze Kopitar, Drew...

Left wing Andrei Kuzmenko (96) of the Los Angeles Kings tries to sneak one around the backside of the net while being defended by defenseman Cale Makar (8) of the Colorado Avalanche during Game 3 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

Kings searching for answers as Scott Wedgewood, Avalanche eye sweep in first round of NHL Playoffs

By Corey Masisak

April 25, 2026 at 6:00 a.m.

The Los Angeles Kings are searching for answers and running out of time to find...

Cale Makar #8 of the Colorado Avalanche looks for a shot as he is pressured by Logan Cooley #92 of the Utah Mammoth during the second period of a game at Delta Center on February 25, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

Avalanche, Mammoth will play 2027 NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Eve in Salt Lake City

By Corey Masisak

April 24, 2026 at 7:19 p.m.

The biggest New Year's Eve party in Utah will feature the Colorado Avalanche.

Left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) of the Colorado Avalanche pats center Nazem Kadri (91) on the head after Landeskog scored during the first period of Game 3 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

PHOTOS: Colorado Avalanche beat L.A. Kings 4-2 in Game 3 of NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

By Timothy Hurst

April 24, 2026 at 9:55 a.m.

The Avs beat the Kings in Game 3 of their first-round series in the NHL...