The idea was to collect quotes for a few stories, including one to run at the start of the second round about the rivalry and what it was like to chase the Avalanche for five straight months. Each interview with a player, every interaction with a member of the Dallas media ended essentially the same way.

“No disrespect to Minnesota, but … see you in a month.”

As the saying goes, best laid plans … yeah, that story will not be running in The Denver Post this weekend, and said reporter will not be back in North Texas in the coming days.

The Stars were the second-best team in the NHL for much of this season, but the Wild exploited some cracks in their depth chart and controlled most of the series at 5-on-5. So, instead of looking to exercise some demons from their recent past, the Avs will have the opportunity to get payback for ones from further back in the club’s history.

There are only four players in this series who were part of Minnesota’s seven-game victory in 2014 — Nathan MacKinnon and Gabe Landeskog for the Avs, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon for the Wild.

Here are some early observations and potential storylines from what could be the best second-round series of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

1. Quinn Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy are all terrific, world-class players. This round, just like the Dallas series, will almost certainly be decided by the “other guys.” Colorado’s next tier of core players beyond the big three of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas are better than Minnesota’s. But that was an advantage for the Stars as well, on paper. Dallas’ depth scoring evaporated. The Stars’ top-five scorers from the regular season all produced. The guy who was sixth (Roope Hintz) did not play because of an injury. Seventh through 12th — all players with at least 30 points in the regular season — combined for one goal and three points.

2. The Wild dominated the Stars at 5-on-5 … on the scoreboard. Dallas famously had one of the coldest cold stretches at 5-on-5 in recent NHL history, and relied almost entirely on the power play to stay afloat in the series. Some of that was definitely goaltending and short-sample variance, though. Minnesota outscored Dallas 9-1 when Hughes was on the ice at 5-on-5, but generated “only” 53.88% of the expected goals, per . That’s still good, but not dominant. The Stars even had a significant advantage in high-danger chances (29-21) when Hughes was out there.

3. Jesper Wallstedt had a great series in net for Minnesota. He was white-hot to start the season — although it took a while for the Wild to promote him from backup to an equal timeshare in net — and he’s been great since March 1. In between, there was a 15-game stretch (30 Wild games) during which he posted an .885 save percentage. The shape of his season looks closer to Mackenzie Blackwood’s than Scott Wedgewood’s. He met the postseason moment against Dallas, now he has to prove he can do it for a longer stretch of games.

4. Get ready to hear the phrase “heavy hockey” a lot in the coming days. When the Wild took DU alum Bobby Brink out of the lineup in favor of old friend Nico Sturm, there was no mistake about how Minnesota’s third and fourth lines were going to play against Dallas. It’s five guys who want to thump opposing players at every chance, and Vladimir Tarasenko, who, while more of a scorer in his long career, is built like a small tank and doesn’t mind the physical stuff, either. And now those guys believe they bullied the Stars into the offseason, so the Avs should expect plenty of that as well.

5. Jared Bednar didn’t get particularly focused on matchups in the first round. That might change in this series. Minnesota spent two-thirds of the Dallas series with Kaprizov and Boldy on separate lines, but also put them together when the Wild needed more offense. When they’re together, and on the ice with Hughes and Brock Faber, Bednar will likely try to get the Brock Nelson line or the Jack Drury line out there as much as he can.

6. Two key defensemen are front and center in the next few days — Colorado’s Josh Manson and Minnesota’s Jonas Brodin. Different styles, but both are defensive guys who typically play on the second pairing. Both missed the end of the last round with injuries. Brodin blocked a shot in Game 5, reportedly left the arena on crutches and in a walking boot and then didn’t play in Game 6. Wild officials have said he’s day-to-day. Manson skated on Friday and remains a possibility for Game 1. Both teams are … lacking, when it comes to defensive depth.

7. Two second-line forwards to watch as well: Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin and Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson. They combined for one goal (from the latter) and no assists in the first round. One has a long playoff track record (Nichushkin) of success. The other does not. If the Avs contain Johansson at the start of this series, will Brink get a second chance in his place?

8. This could be the case in all four series if the Avalanche make it to the Stanley Cup Final, but Colorado needs the third line to cook against Minnesota. Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy produced at key points in the Kings series. The Avs need that again. That line will likely see a lot of one of the two rugged Wild lines, and they need to be much better against them than Dallas’ depth guys were.

9. Makar has had some great games when Hughes is sharing the ice with him. Hughes and Faber were fantastic against the Stars. Makar scored in each of the final two games against Los Angeles and was the best defenseman in the series. This will be a different challenge. If Makar and Devon Toews have a greater all-around impact than Hughes and Faber, it would be very hard for the Wild to win this series.

10. How will this series be officiated? If the Avs had faced the Stars, they would have loved a loose, let ’em play whistle, mostly because Dallas’ power play is fantastic and Colorado’s has not been. Both Dallas and Minnesota had 25 power plays in the first round, and the Stars scored six more (10-4) than the Wild. Minnesota had the third-best power play in the NHL this season, right behind Dallas. Would the Avs rather just play at 5-on-5 as much as possible? Maybe. But there’s a fine line between the officials letting ’em play, and a physical team hooking and holding its way into a lower-scoring series.

Here’s the schedule and how to watch each game as the Avs continue their 2026 playoff run starting Sunday at Ball Arena.

Avs vs. Wild playoff schedule

Game 1: 7 p.m. Sunday, May 3, Minnesota at Colorado, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX
Game 2: TBD, Minnesota at Colorado
Game 3: TBD, Colorado at Minnesota
Game 4: TBD, Colorado at Minnesota
Game 5*: TBD, Minnesota at Colorado
Game 6*: TBD, Colorado at Minnesota
Game 7*: TBD, Minnesota at Colorado

*If necessary

With 2:21 to go in the second period Sunday at Crypto.com Arena, Nathan MacKinnon’s sweetest shot of No Kings Day in Los Angeles — a 5-1 Avalanche rout — led with a shoulder instead of a stick.

As the Avalanche defended a 2-1 lead, the leading scorer in the NHL took a series worth of low blows, high blows, late blows, early blows, fast blows and slow blows out on Kings defenseman Brian Dumoulin.

When Dumoulin entered the offensive zone with the puck, Nate Dogg got his bite back. The fastest forward on the ice and leading scorer in the NHL picked up speed as he prepped to meet the Los Angeles defender at the blue line.

In an afternoon of little statement moments for the Avs, that one spoke volumes. Ride his back. Chop at his legs. Jab at his ribs. Poke at his face. Just know this, if you’re a Dallas or Minnesota defender: No. 29’s taking names. And keeping receipts.

“I think it’s a hungry group, inspired group,” captain Gabriel Landeskog opined to TNT after the sweep. “We just know what we want to do.”

Cup or bust, kids. it’s more fun, of course, on the nights when Nate The Great busts out. Nova Scotia’s shooting star was a Halifax Hammer in Game 4 — over nearly 18 minutes of ice time, the Avs forward collected two goals (his first of the series); three points; a power-play goal (!); one helper; two hits; two blocks and a dozen wins via the face-off draw on 14 attempts.

Given hindsight and an ice pack, a 4-0 series sweep turned into a nice, physical tune-up for the battles to come. More importantly, though, Colorado-L.A. was over with quick enough for everybody in burgundy to rest up for the main event.

The Avs now await the winner of a Stars-Wild series tied at 2-2 as of Sunday afternoon. It’ll be stunning if the battle between the NHL’s second-best and third-best squads doesn’t go the full seven. After all the extracurriculars MacKinnon received over a week of tussles with the K.O. Kings, it’ll be nice to watch two other franchises try to beat one another up.

Everybody took a dip on the chippy side Sunday. As the first intermission loomed, the Kings’ Joel Edmundson clubbed Cale Makar late, and the mild-mannered defender was heated enough to chicken-wing Edmundson with a high elbow before the horn sounded.

About 5:40 into the second stanza, Makar got his payback, bringing the dangle and the dagger. He ducked and weaved around his defender at the right faceoff dot, forcing Kings winger Taylor Ward to play catch-up. Hail Cale finished with a nifty wrister that beat Anton Forsberg top shelf for a 2-0 lead that more or less clinched the Avs’ first Stanley Cup Playoff series sweep, and first opening-round series sweep, since 2022 — the last time Colorado won the Cup.

“I thought this series against the Kings was a good test for us,” Landeskog reflected to TNT. “It was tight. It was hard. It was a good series for us.”

It was brief — which might have been the most important thing, given Los Angeles’ propensity to goon it up. Because once the Avs had snatched a 1-0 lead, the Kings clearly preferred to dance than skate.

With 2:02 left in the first, the Avs’ fourth line snapped. And retaliated. Los Angeles enforcer Jeff Malott lit the fuse when the 6-foot-5 forward shoved Colorado’s 5-9 defender Nick Blankenburg after the whistle. Avs forward Chris Drury butted in to defend his teammate, knowing full well his roster was down a D-man with Josh Manson scratched. The cage match turned into a group scrum when another of the Kings’ big uglies, 6-6 Samuel Helenius, threw a punch at Parker Kelly. That swing drew a 10-minute misconduct penalty and an Avs power play to end the stanza.

Staring at both elimination and Anze Kopitar’s retirement, the Kings brought a desperate look from the jump. Over the first nine minutes, the Avs were outhit 7-2 and outshot 6-2. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood and a friendly post were the only two things keeping the hosts off the board. In a run of six saves over the opening 12 minutes, three on the Kings’ power play, Wedgie’s sweetest might have come 90 seconds in, when he turned away a Cody Ceci slap shot and stopped a point-blank rebound wrister by Scott Laughton.

Wedgewood, meanwhile, kept the Avs out front early and late in the second period.

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

With 17:51 left in the stanza, the 33-year-old spread-eagled to turn away Jared Wright wrister and two more Ceci looks down low with flailing, octopus arms. With 5:14 to go and the Avs clinging to a 2-1 cushion, Wedgewood drew a snow angel in the crease, sliding on his back to stone Scott Laughton's stabbing attempts.

Having endured the adrenaline rush at the outset, Colorado finally broke the ice on two fronts with 6:47 to go in the opening frame — notching the first power-play goal of the series and initial goal of the postseason for MacKinnon.

The visitors' opening tally with the extra man, coming after an 0-for-9 start on the power play, was almost how Avs faithful would've drawn it up. Landeskog, camped near the net, passed back to Nazem Kadri at the right face-off circle. The Colorado veteran turned left and shifted the biscuit from his circle to the other, where an open MacKinnon had space cleared to fire by Necas crashing the post.

Nate Dogg cocked his stick back and fired a video-game-perfect one-timer past Forsberg for a 1-0 Avs lead. Yet his second shot of the day, the one that turned Dumoulin into Artemis II, left the deepest mark. And the loudest message.

The first big test of how it’s worked for him is likely coming Sunday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena. Josh Manson missed the Colorado Avalanche’s practice Saturday, and coach Jared Bednar said he’s unlikely to play in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Kings. The Avs lead the best-of-seven series 3-0 and will attempt to sweep the Kings and advance to the second round.

“(Manson) is sore. So, I’d say he’s unlikely for tomorrow,” Bednar said. “Then we’ll just keep evaluating him every day after that.

“Putting a timeline on players this time of year is kind of guesswork. They’re willing to play through a lot and they’ve worked so hard through the offseason, regular season to get to this point, nobody wants to miss time.”

That would mean a playoff debut for Blankenburg, a 27-year-old defenseman who joined the club on March 4 from the Nashville Predators. An undrafted free agent after a four-year career at Michigan, Blankenburg was in the midst of his best NHL season before the trade.

When the Avs added Blankenburg, he was understandably excited to join a Stanley Cup contender. But it also meant a change in roles. He had 21 points in 49 games for the Predators, but would be No. 7 on the Avs’ depth chart when everyone was healthy.

His first chances to play with the Avs also came during a rare stretch when Bednar decided to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. It was, in part, to get Blankenburg some game action. But it’s not easy for a defenseman to just get a handful of shifts in any game, let alone for a new team.

“I think there was a little bit of struggle in the beginning, just trying to learn the systems,” Blankenburg said. “The last little bit was just kind of me feeling more confident in the system and my own abilities, and just trying not to think too much. Anytime you get a chance to play in with a new group, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get.”

Blankenburg averaged a little more than nine minutes per game in his first contests with the Avs. Then he went back to being a healthy scratch for two weeks.

Injuries and rest gave Blankenburg a chance to play the last nine games of the regular season. He averaged 13 minutes per night. By the last few games, he looked much more like the guy who was a sneaky underrated player in Nashville.

“We need him to be solid defensively,” Bednar said. “He’s perfectly capable of coming into our system and being a responsible defensive player and helping us move the puck out of the (defensive) zone and into the offensive zone. That¶¶Òõap what we expect from all of our D. Anything he can add beyond that is a bonus.

“What we’ll miss with (Manson) is that big, shut-down (guy), being able to close plays out quickly with the size and physicality, being hard at the net-front — all the things he brings. It¶¶Òõap a loss, for sure, but I feel good about the option we have in coming into the lineup and being able to help us.”

Manson has been a physical defensive stalwart for the Avs this season. The 79 games he played in the regular season were his most since 2017-18. He’s delivered a few of the biggest hits in this series against the Kings.

Blankenburg is a very different type of player. The expectations will be different, but his play in the last games of the regular season were a cause for optimism.

“There’s excitement, obviously. A little bit of nerves,” Blankenburg said. “It’s a great opportunity. Just stick to my game and who I am as a person and as a player, and kind of let the rest take care of itself. Just not putting too much pressure on yourself, try to enjoy the moment and not take anything for granted and just have fun.”

“I feel like (Thursday), we got a lot of chances,” Avs defender Cale Makar told reporters after Colorado inched closer to a first-round sweep of the Los Angeles Kings, taking a 3-0 lead into Sunday’s Game 4. “(We) capitalized on a few, but still, I think there (are) areas of improvement, for sure.”

A dead car battery’s got more juice right now than Colorado with a man advantage. Oh-for-2 on power plays in Game 3. Oh-for-9 for the series.

It’s the first time the Avs have opened the postseason without a power-play goal over its first three playoff contests since 2023. The 2022 Stanley Cup champs had put up six goals with the extra man against Nashville by Game 3 of that four-game series sweep.

And we know, we know: The Avs were a mess on the power play through one of the greatest regular seasons in franchise history — and racked up 121 points anyway. Sure, it’s broke. But they’re too good in every other scenario for you to worry about fixing it, right?

Mind you, we were saying the same thing for months about the Nuggets’ defense and about Aaron Gordon’s health, too. And look how that little narrative is playing out in Minneapolis right now. (Or don’t. It’s ugly. And it could get worse.)

True, the Avs have been stuck in second gear over the first three tilts of this series, and there probably won’t be a fifth game. That’s how strong, how deep, this roster is — four lines of speed and steel stacked one on top of the other.

It’s the next round — when the competition ramps up — where those little things pay off, where the margins mean more. You can rope-a-dope L.A. and end up sweeping the bums to Cancun. Dallas and Minnesota throw punches from your weight class. The Kings are ham-fisted goons. The Stars are ham-fisted goons who can also score, especially on special teams.

Would this be a bad time to mention that Dallas has scored six power-play goals through its first three games against Minnesota this round? And on just 17 attempts?

Or that the Wild were 3 for 15 with the extra man as of late Thursday night?

Or that the Kings ranked 30th (74.6%)  among NHL special teams in penalty kill during the regular season? Or that only Seattle and Vancouver were worse?

If you can’t make it here, you might not make it anywhere.

Avs coach Jared Bednar is loyal to a fault and twice as stubborn when cornered. But this postseason needs more Logan O’Connor and Artturi Lehkonen on the ice — not less.

Lehkonen is a crease-crasher, a garbage collector and a pest, a greasy goal waiting to happen. The Mayor is a terrier on skates, a holy terror. Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri is passing up shots and sometimes looks uncomfortable gripping his stick right now. Why not play LOC with the PP1 unit instead and see what happens?

And we get it — big picture, yes, the Avs are fine. More than fine, in fact. Makar got back on the postseason scoresheet with a classic Cale goal in Game 3, walking the blue line to rack up his first tally since March 18. Nathan MacKinnon managed to keep his cool Thursday despite getting mugged every shift and drawing some curious calls — Embellishment? Really? — from NHL zebras.

Yet in a series that’s been hard on the eyes, Colorado’s power play is still bad for your heart. Once the bright lights of the Stanley Cup Playoffs switched on, it’s been the same sad song, different verse. One pass too many, time and again.

Avalanche vs. Kings NHL playoff schedule

And is Kadri hurting more than anybody has let on publicly? The veteran winger passed up a one-timer with the extra man about five minutes into the third period. If he's not comfortable shooting on the PP, he's probably not helping, either.

Fortunately, Colorado's penalty kill picked up the rest of the special-teams units to put Game 3 to bed late. Lehkonen and O'Connor turned on the jets during a third period Kings PP as Los Angeles' Adrian Kempe fanned on a one-timer at the blue line, sending the puck skipping in front of him like a scuffed golf drive.

Lehkonen closed quickly and started a break the other way, with his brother-in-harms, O'Connor, racing to the Finn's right. The former kept it on the 2-on-1, bouncing a feed off Adrian Kempe's skate and into the goal to give Colorado a 3-1 lead with 12:21 left on the clock.

The Avs did more dumping than chasing and rode their puck luck harder than usual. Then again, it's hard to find a flow

Samuel Helenius popped Kadri in the first period following a whistle. Nada. Later, Josh Manson got planted into the metal part of the boards near the home bench at game speed, suffering an upper-body injury that sent him back to the locker room.

At least Makar got one back for all those elbows to the face with 7:48 to go in the second stanza. Top-line partners MacKinnon and Lehkonen made a staggered double screen in front of the Los Angeles goal as No. 8 glided left to right along the blue line while shooting the puck right to left. With all kinds of Highway 405 traffic in front of the crease, Makar's laser beat Anton Forsberg over the stopper's left shoulder as the Avs went back up in front, 2-1.

With L.A. fans frothing, it took a crazy bounce to get out the Avs rolling out of the gate. About 5:29 into the contest, Gabriel Landeskog nailed his 30th career postseason goal, and one of his wackiest. The Avs captain threw the puck at Forsberg's right post, only for it to sail slightly wide and bonk hard off the boards.

Only the carom was so hard that the biscuit bounced all the way back to Forsberg as he scrambled to corral the puck before a hard-charging Kadri could reach it. The net-minder won the race but lost the battle. As Forsberg chased the puck, he also accidentally kicked the disc into his own net with his right skate for a 1-0 Colorado lead.

"I think there (are) some times when you just don't get bounces like that," Makar noted later. "(It) definitely gave us a little bit of a jolt."

The power play, meanwhile, could use about 50,000 volts, if history is any guide. Since 2020, the Avs are 5-10 against Dallas in the postseason when they convert at a clip of 25% of lower with the man advantage. That includes an 0-2 mark vs. the Stars in Game 7s. It's a slippery slope from one pass too many to one Cup too few.

Artturi Lehkonen had a shorthanded goal and set up another, while Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves as the Colorado Avalanche clawed its way to another victory, 4-2, Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Avs now lead the best-of-7 series 3-0, and will go for a sweep here Sunday afternoon in Game 4.

Lehkonen led a 2-on-1 while shorthanded and tried to set up Logan O’Connor with a pass. The puck went off Adrian Kempe’s skate and between goalie Anton Forsberg’s legs for what proved to be the game-winning at 7:39 of the final period.

“I was for sure trying to pass to OC on the back side there,” Lehkonen said. “Luckily it went in. It was for sure a little bit of a different kind of goal, but I’ll take it.”

The Kings were desperate in this contest and had the more dangerous offensive chances early on. Wedgewood, who led the NHL in save percentage (.921) and goals against average (2.02) during the regular season, continued his incredible run with another strong effort.

The high-flying version of the Avs has yet to arrive in this series, but the defensively-sound edition backed by strong goaltending continues to be enough against an inferior Kings club.

Lehkonen’s goal became the game winner after Los Angeles cut Colorado’s lead to 3-2 with 4:03 remaining. Adrian Kempe re-directed a shot-pass from Artemi Panarin with Jack Drury in the penalty box for the Kings’ third power-play goal in three games.

Brock Nelson ended any doubt, shooting the puck into the empty net with 2:18 remaining. Anze Kopitar, who has announced he will retire when this season ends, smashed his stick off the boards in frustration. He knows his last NHL game could be Sunday.

Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Cale Makar — the three highest scorers on the highest-scoring team in the NHL this season — have one point each in this series. It has not mattered.

“That¶¶Òõap how you’re going to win this time of year,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said. “We’re doing it as a group. Those guys are checking like dogs and working really hard, both ends of the rink. That¶¶Òõap the way it¶¶Òõap going to have to be for us to win. There’s going to be plenty of opportunities, plays that are going to have to be made, and those guys will make them.

“You see some of that tonight. Cale doesn’t score if Nate and Lehky aren’t in front of the net. Those are plays that aren’t going to show up on the score sheet but are super important this time of year.”

Cale Makar put the Avs back in front at 12:12 of the second period. Lehkonen intercepted a pass by Drew Doughty behind the L.A. net to start the play. Makar took a pass from partner Devon Toews at the left point, then danced across the top of the zone before slinging a shot through traffic for his first goal of the postseason.

Landeskog scored on the one-year anniversary of his return from a three-year absence to give the Avalanche an early lead. Nicolas Roy sent the puck towards the top of the zone and Landeskog was able to stretch and corral it near the blue line.

The Avs captain threw it back towards the Kings net. It went wide, but bounced off the end boards and hit Anton Forsberg’s skate before it crossed the goal line at 5:29 of the first. It was Landeskog’s second goal of the series, and second in as many games after he scored late in Game 2 to force overtime.

Trevor Moore scored L.A.’s first even-strength goal of the series to even the score at 5:55 of the second. It was a chaotic shift. Quentin Byfield had a chance as he drove the net a few seconds earlier, but he was the guy shoveling the puck there. Moore went to the net and the puck went off his body and in.

Josh Manson left the game with an injury earlier in the second period after Joel Edmondson checked him awkwardly into the Kings bench. He returned for one shift — he was tangled up with Moore at the net front and took a high-sticking penalty on the play. Manson did not return to the game after serving the penalty. A team spokesman said he was out with an upper-body injury.

“Unbelievable,” Wedgewood said of the defense corps playing a man down. “We’ve got a good structured game plan back there. They were smart with it. A couple chances (the Kings) did get, they only got one. I didn’t feel like they were whacking away on three or four chances or getting things back to the seam after a rebound.

“It sucks going down a guy, especially when they push in third period, things like that. But I couldn’t be prouder.”

“I made a couple of nice plays and got a couple of shots on that (Kings crease) and obviously was lucky to get one,” Avalanche forward Nicolas Roy reflected when asked about his scrappy overtime goal, the one sending Colorado into Los Angeles on Thursday night with a 2-0 series lead.

“But again, I like to be in this area (of the crease), and a lot of those goals are scored there. So I try to be there as much as I can.”

The Nic of Time came 7:44 into overtime late Tuesday, not long after the referees had gifted the K.O. Kings a 1-0 cushion — forcing Marty Necas to go reverse 5-hole with Gabe Landeskog and claw the Avs back.

The 6-foot-4 Roy, acquired from Toronto for a first-round pick at the trade deadline this past March, is built like the girder of an old-time baseball park. He’s strong, lean, sturdy, and hard as all heck to see around during parts of the action.

In the Colorado spirit, once Big Nic started camping in Los Angeles goalie Anton Forsberg’s crease, it was only a matter of time before somebody started a fire. While Roy and Kings defender Brandt Clarke swapped shoves in front of the L.A. net, the Avs’ Josh Manson collected a feed from Nazem Kadri, cocked his stick back, and fired from the blue line.

With that, Brandt blocked Manson’s wrister, only to lose the rubber as it trickled under him. An alert Roy leaned in and shoveled the loose puck past Forsberg to end one of the weirdest playoff nights in Ball Arena history.

“(Roy has) been awesome,” Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon said later. “I mean, he’s a great player. He’s a really smart player, awesome guy. (Joel Kiviranta) almost scored right before him, and then (Roy) found a way to get it done.”

Avs 2, Kidney Punch Kings 1. They found a way. They found a Roy, in spite of it all. Hockey justice is supposed to be blind in April. But not nearly as blind as the zebras that worked Avs-Kings Game 2.

Artemi Panarin lofted the puck over Colorado net-minder Scott Wedgewood on the power play with 6:56 left in the third period to break the deadlock, giving the underdogs a 1-0 lead. But ain’t it funny how officials didn’t notice the cross-check in front of the Avs goal, as Los Angeles’ Scott Laughton shoved Devon Toews halfway to Littleton?

Cale Makar? Elbow to the chin.

Marty Necas? Elbow to the nose.

That second one, a cheap shot by the Kings’ Mikey Anderson, is a felony in 45 states. On Tuesday, it was two minutes for roughing.

From four blind mice in stripes to in-game stadium repair, it turned into one long, strange trip of an evening. The second period had a little bit of everything. Everything, that is, except a goal.

Some goaltenders raise the roof. Wedgewood rattled the windows — helping to break the glass that separates Avs fans from the Kings’ bench.

Not directly, mind you. See, roughly 3:12 into the second stanza, Wedgie stoned a penalty shot awarded to the Kings’ Quinton Byfield, the result of a particularly curious call on Cale Makar. The Avs goalie dove hard to his left, extending a glove to stop the Los Angeles forward’s backhanded try.

With that, the superb gave way to the surreal. Ball went justifiably bonkers over Wedgewood’s stop. So bonkers, in fact, that the glass partition behind the L.A. bench completely shattered due to repeated banging by Avs faithful. The collision sent a shower of shards into the back and shoulder of unsuspecting Kings coach D.J. Smith and his staff.

And cue the oddest of odd playoff delays. The away bench had to be cleared as cleaning and maintenance crews rushed in to sweep up debris. New glass was installed after a 17-minute delay, during which both teams remained on the ice.

In hindsight, the stoppage might have slowed down a chance for the Avs to immediately capitalize on the juice generated from Wedgewood’s penalty save.

“That’s a different one,” said Avs coach Jared Bednar, who took a stray puck to the face against Vegas earlier this month. “I mean, stuff happens.”

The rough stuff happened early and often. Manson separated Laughton from his spine with 10:28 to go in the first. After Wedgewood smothered a Trevor Moore wrister on a Kings 2-on-1, a full-scale donnybrook exploded near the Colorado net.

Once order was restored, the assailants skated to the Los Angeles end of the ice. But not all — Necas got sandwiched between the Kings’ Mathieu Joseph and Anderson at center ice, a collision punctuated by Anderson reaching up to elbow the Avs winger right between the nostrils.

Meanwhile, Artturi Lehkonen boarded a dude behind the Los Angeles net with the subtlety of an Estes Park elk. Somebody grabbed Sam Malinsky, and we had another scrap, only on the other end, and with everybody on the dance floor.

When the dust settled for a second time, Brett Kulak got four minutes — two for roughing, another two for cross-checking — in the box, and Anderson only had to serve two in his box on a roughing charge.

Nevertheless, the chippy persisted. The Kings’ 6-foot-5 forward Jeff Malott bopped the 6-foot Makar in the face with 4:18 left in the opening period as they hovered above Wedgewood’s crease just before a stoppage in play.

Necas got a little of his back in the Avs’ last possession of the opening 20 minutes, shoving Anderson into the boards behind the Kings’ net a few seconds ahead of the stanza-ending horn. Why should Vegas and Utah have all the fun?

“I guess I’d better keep my head up, huh?” . “No bicycles on the highway.”

The goalie duel continued, even as the Avs generated a 3-on-1 with 4:26 left in the second stanza, a rush that had the natives rising to their collective feet again.

Only Necas dished to Landeskog rather than ripping one while he had a good look. That little hesitation gave Forsberg enough time to snuff out the danger.

Shoot, Marty!

Ah, shoot, Marty.

Playoff Necas rebounded. With 3:35 left in regulation and the Avalanche down, 1-0, Marty camped out behind Forsberg’s left shoulder, waited for help, and found an open Landy cutting into the crease. No. 88 slipped a perfect diagonal pass between Forsberg’s leg pads and onto the stick of the Captain, who didn’t miss — lighting the lamp and sending another grindy contest into overtime.

In case of awful officiating, just break glass. And call on Roy to clean up the NHL’s mess.

“I’m joining a group of guys (in Colorado) that have built something really good here,” Saint Nic said of Avs life. “(I’m) just trying to chip in as much as I can, help these guys out in any way I can.”

No bicycles on this highway, kids. Here today. Goon tomorrow.

Avalanche vs. Kings matchups: Who has the edge?

Kings: 35-27-20, 90 points; 2.68 goals per game (29th), 2.90 goals against per game (8th)

Avalanche: 55-16-11, 121 points; 3.63 goals per game (1st), 2.40 goals against per game (1st)

Offense

The Avs just missed being the only NHL club to score 300 goals this year, but their 298 was still seven more than Carolina in second and 78 more than the Kings. Colorado hasn’t had its full allotment of forwards together very often since the additions of Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy before the trade deadline, but everyone is expected to be ready for Game 1.

It’s the best forward group in the league if everyone is healthy. Nathan MacKinnon led the league in goals and should be a Hart Trophy finalist for the third straight year. Martin Necas collected 100 points for the first time in his career. Brock Nelson fired home 33 goals and formed a dominant two-way tandem with Valeri Nichushkin.

Kadri will likely center the third line and Jack Drury the fourth, but Ross Colton could end up on any of the bottom three lines. Parker Kelly’s 21 goals would be tied for third on the Kings. He could play on the fourth line for the Avs.

The Kings did make a big splash for Artemi Panarin and then added Scott Laughton just before the deadline. Panarin and Adrian Kempe with Azne Kopitar between them is a very nice top line.

Byfield has been hot lately and is a strong No. 2 center. Colorado’s depth should be a massive advantage. Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko would make this group look a lot more formidable, but both are injured any may not play in this series.

Advantage: Avalanche

Defense

Cale Makar missed some games with a minor injury, then returned and looked quite ready for the postseason. Will coach Jared Bednar start him with Devon Toews, or will he split them up? Brett Kulak has faced the Kings each of the past four postseasons with Edmonton. He could play with Makar and allow Toews to continue to skate with Sam Malinski, one of the breakout performers of the season.

Josh Manson missed the end of the regular season, but is expected to be ready for Sunday, and to be paired again with Brent Burns. The Avs led the NHL in offense from defensemen for the sixth consecutive season.

Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson lead the Los Angeles blue line. Doughty is 36 and played the fewest minutes per game of his career. Brandt Clarke is an offensive specialist who the Avs are going to try to pin at his end of the ice. The Kings added both Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci this offseason to play in games like this. Colorado’s top forwards will be delighted to see them on the ice.

Advantage: Avalanche

Special teams

The power play has been Colorado’s weak link all season, but it’s been less of one since the Olympic break. The Avs finished 27th with the man advantage … but the Kings finished 28th. And Colorado was 16th at 21.4% with the extra man after the break.

Meanwhile, the Avs’ penalty kill has been consistently elite all season. Colorado finished first in the league on the PK. Los Angeles has the worst penalty kill in the playoffs — 30th overall this season, and last since the Olympic break at 67.9%. The Kings can be dangerous shorthanded, and that’s been an issue for the Avs at times this season.

Advantage: Avalanche

Goaltending

The Avs won the William Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals this season. Scott Wedgewood led the NHL in goals against average (2.02) and save percentage (.921). Mackenzie Blackwood started the year 13-1-1, but has scuffled at times in the second half of the season. Both just missed out on representing Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper was on that Canada team after a strong start to the season. He may not be in net Sunday against his former team, though. Anton Forsberg has taken control of the position, winning five straight starts down the stretch to help L.A. qualify for the playoffs before dropping the finale to Calgary. Forsberg has a .914 save percentage since the Olympic break, while Kuemper has an .867.

We could see all four goalies in this series.

Advantage: Avalanche

Avalanche vs. Kings: 5 storylines to watch

1. Who is in net? The biggest unknown for the Avs is how the goalie situation is going to work. Scott Wedgewood has been the better goalie for a long stretch now, but Mackenzie Blackwood is still the long-term No. 1 goalie for this organization. Jared Bednar has said he will continue to play both guys.

2. Befuddle Byfield? The Kings top line is very good. Quinton Byfield has 11 goals in the past 15 games and centers the club’s go-to shutdown line. This could be a coming out party for him nationally if he comports himself well against MacKinnon and Co. If the Avs can keep him in check and make the Kings a one-line team, that should make this a short series.

3. Corral Clarke? 23-year-old Brandt Clarke is the type of offensive defenseman who can change games. The Kings also try to shelter him with a lot of offensive zone starts. Similar to Byfield, containing Clarke is a path to shutting down the Kings’ offense.

4. Power up? The Kings have some of the worst special teams in the league, in both phases. They’ve also had issues on specials teams during the playoffs the past few years. Colorado’s power play had a great March, but PP1 was in the garage for most of April because of injuries to Cale Makar and Nazem Kadri. This could, even should, be a chance for the Avs to find some success on the power play. And going close to perfect on the PK in the series isn’t out of the question.

5. One trip? These Kings have had a weird year. The coach got fired. They won 35 games. Everyone has counted them out. But … they’ve been better with Artemi Panarin and since Anton Forsberg got hot. They will play all of the motivational cards — nobody believes in us, we have nothing to lose, let’s win one series for Azne Kopitar before he retires. The Avs need to take control of this series early, not let up and make one trip to sunny Southern California, not two.

Avalanche vs. Kings series predictions

Corey Masisak, beat writer:  Once upon a time at another publication, I picked the Kings to win the Stanley Cup in five games. My boss asked how I could pick them in such a short series and my response was “because I can’t pick them in three.” This is that type of series, as long as the Avalanche take care of business early and don’t let the Kings start to believe. The Kings will try to slow game down, drag the Avs down into the mud and make it as coin-flip in nature as possible. They’re going to hope Anton Forsberg stays hot. They have a few standout players, but the Avs are much deeper. It would take a lot of things going wrong for this to be a long series, and catastrophic-type stuff for the Kings to win. Kings won that Cup Final in five games, by the way. And it was over in three. Avs in five.

Sean Keeler, sports columnist:  What better way to start a 2022 nostalgia tour than by waving hello (and good-bye) to old friend Darcy Kuemper in the first round? Chances are the former Avs net-minder won’t play much, unless MacKinnon, Necas & Company batter Anton Forsberg, the Kings’ likely No. 1 goaltender, early. And they could. The Avalanche swept all three meetings this season by an average score of 4.3-1.7 and haven’t posted fewer than four goals in any tussle against the Kings since December 2023. L.A.’s only chance is to muck it up, slow it down, and try to make things as ugly as possible — the Kings feature the lowest-scoring offense of any postseason team at 2.68 goals per game. Context: The Avs averaged 2.36 goals by the end of the second period. Get ‘er done, get ‘er done quick, and rest up for the bare knuckle brawl that’s looming in the next round. Avs in five.

Troy Renck, sports columnist:  The President¶¶Òõap Trophy is a curse. But not in the first round. Not against the Kings. This is an ideal matchup for the Avs to work up a sweat before taking on the Dallas Stars. The Kings failed to manage a point against Colorado this season, outscored 13-5. The Kings received the interim coach boost – 11-6-6 – but they simply can’t score enough to avoid getting swept. Who is going to stop Nathan MacKinnon? Or Marty Necas? Or Cale Makar? No one, that’s who. Avs in four.

Lori Punko, deputy sports editor: The President’s Trophy winning Avs against the 20th best team in the NHL? It should — and most likely will — be a cakewalk for the Avs. Facing the Kings is a gift for MacKinnon & Company, but they need to take care of business and not look past this series to the winner of the Wild-Stars battle. Colorado got healthy at the right time, and if they dominate like they should, the Avs will be the better rested team going into the second round. Avs in five.

Kyle Newman, sportswriter:  Colorado makes an opening round statement: After winning the Presidents’ Trophy, they are in these playoffs to be the first winner of the trophy since the 2013 Blackhawks to also raise the Stanley Cup. Getting Cale Makar back from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for a few weeks down the stretch of the regular season is a boost to a roster already loaded with enough firepower to easily dismantle the Kings. The Avs will take care of business at home for a 2-0 lead in the series, then win a couple on the road to clinch the series by next Sunday in Los Angeles. The Kings put together a nice five-game win streak towards the end of the season, but their porous defense will be no match for the Avs’ top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas. Expect a lot of Colorado scoring blitzes in this series, as seen in the season opener when the Avs scored three second-period goals in a 4-1 win. Avs in four.

“The Lumberyard” has been so effective this season that Wedgewood actually had a bigger cushion than he realized.

Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood will win the William Jennings Trophy for the 2025-26 season, which is awarded to the team which allows the fewest goals in the season. Goaltenders must play 25-plus games to be part of the award, so the Colorado Avalanche tandem will both have their names on the trophy, which has been awarded since 1982.

“No, honestly it’s super cool,” Wedgewood said. “I mean, getting your name on NHL trophy, regardless of whatever it is, it’s obviously a dream to win something. And to do it with him, with our friendship and story and this team, obviously it’s really cool.”

Colorado entered the final night of the season with 197 goals allowed — 25 fewer than the second-best, the Dallas Stars. The NHL uses the official standings, which include a “goal” awarded for shootout wins and losses. So, officially, the Avs allowed 203 goals in the first 81 games, which was still 23 fewer than the Stars’ official total.

It is only the second time Colorado has won the Jennings Trophy. Patrick Roy was awarded the trophy in 2001-02.

“I like it a lot,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “It was one of our goals at the start of the year. We’ve always been a dangerous offensive team, and we’ve been proud of that over the years. Then improving on the defensive side of it, so we become a stingier and harder team to play against, is like goal No. 1. So that one means a lot, and it’s good for those guys. They’ve both been exceptional for us all year. The team has defended really well and consistently in front of them. I like that award as much as any other one.”

Previously teammates in the New Jersey Devils organization, the Avalanche traded for both goalies in a 10-day span last season. It was the first time in NHL history that a club had traded away both of its opening-night goaltenders before Christmas.

Dubbed “The Lumberyard,” the duo changed the course of Colorado’s goaltending situation immediately last year and have played a huge part in helping the club win the Presidents’ Trophy this season. On the day the Avs traded for Wedgewood, Colorado had the worst save percentage in the NHL.

Since that day, the Avs are sixth overall and will finish first this season.

“It’s really cool,” Avs forward Jack Drury said. “They’ve both played so well all year. It’s really deserving. I think as a tandem, they’ve been really good too. I think having two good goalies is a real privilege, and I think we’re very lucky.”

Wedgewood, 33, has been one of the great stories in the NHL this season. He started 11 of the first 12 games because of a Blackwood injury, and is going to finish the year as the league leader in GAA and save percentage among qualified goalies.

Blackwood, 29, started his season on fire, going 13-1-1 before the calendar flipped to 2026. Both goalies were in strong consideration for Canada’s Olympic team. Blackwood ended up being the first alternate if any of the three picked had sustained an injury just before the tournament.

He has struggled at times since Jan. 1, and it seems likely that Wedgewood will start Game 1 of the club’s opening-round playoff series. But Bednar has made it clear that both will play.

“We’ve got a great team and we control a lot of the play, but we’ve still got to do our job,” Wedgewood said. “It’s not like you just stand out there and you get participation trophies. So to be a big part of it, not just play the bare minimum or anything, I’m proud of it for myself and proud of him. We’ve worked at it all year. We’ve improved our games. We battled each other. One of the things you cherish from this sport for a long time is just winning something and being at the top of the league.”

FOOTNOTES: Bednar will return to the bench Thursday night after missing the past two games because of injuries sustained when a puck hit him in the face Saturday night against Vegas. Several regulars will sit out the season finale. Nazem Kadri (finger) and Josh Manson (undisclosed) have missed games beyond this one with injuries, but Bednar said he expects everyone on the active roster to be available for Game 1, which the NHL announced is Sunday at Ball Arena, time to be determined.

Sam Malinski scored in regulation for the NHL-best Avalanche, who have won three of four overall and seven straight road games.

Connor McDavid scored his 48th goal for the playoff-bound Oilers, who have lost four of five. Edmonton fell two points behind first-place Vegas in the Pacific Division.

McDavid leads the league with 134 points and needs one more to become the seventh player in league history to reach 135 at least twice. The others are Wayne Gretzky (12 times), Mario Lemieux (five), Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne and Steve Yzerman.

Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves for Colorado, and Edmonton’s Connor Ingram also stopped 30 shots.

In the shootout, McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in the first two rounds for Edmonton, and Valerie Nichushkin and Martin Necas replied for Colorado. Wedgewood then stopped a wrist shot by Jack Roslovic, opening the door for MacKinnon’s game-winner.

The Avs were missing Nazem Kadri (finger), Cale Makar (upper body) and Josh Manson (upper body) as they prepare for the playoffs.

The Oilers remained without forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, although both resumed skating with the team on Monday.

Necas was held scoreless and still needs one point to reach 100 for the first time. Only four Avalanche players have ever hit the century mark — Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

Up next

Avalanche: At the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Oilers: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

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