Artturi Lehkonen and Logan O’Connor scored, while Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves in his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs start, and the Colorado Avalanche ground out an 2-1 victory in Game 1 of its opening-round series Sunday at Ball Arena.

The Avs, winners of the Presidents’ Trophy and the top team in the NHL since Nov. 1, did not dominate the Kings, who finished 20th in the league standings, as was the consensus expectation. The visitors played well, keeping this game from being an up-and-down affair for much of it.

Wedgewood and the Avs handled their business, albeit with some nervy moments mixed in, and collected a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven series. Game 2 is back here Tuesday night.

“I’m really happy with how we played, too,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I think that’s the kind of game you can expect playing the Kings. It’s a tight-checking team. What did they play, 50-something one-goal games and low-scoring games? I’m comfortable with that. I think our team’s comfortable with that.

“Managed the puck well, so our guys played the right way and got the job done tonight. Now we’ve got to go do it again.”

Lehkonen broke the stalemate with 4:31 left in the second period. It was a classic Lehkonen play.

The puck went behind the net, and Lehkonen was there to harass Kings defenseman Drew Doughty’s attempt to rim the puck out of danger. Nathan MacKinnon thwarted said attempt along the wall, then sent the puck at the net. Lehkonen was there again, ready to corral the rebound and slide it past Forsberg.

“Getting the first one is always big,” Avs forward Jack Drury said. “(Lehkonen), I always tell him he’s a net-front savant. He’s so good in front of the net. He won a battle and put it in.”

That wasn’t the first time the puck was behind Forsberg. Colorado thought it had the opener earlier in the middle period. O’Connor ripped a shot from the right circle past the Los Angeles netminder, but it was immediately waived for goalie interference on Drury.

The Avs challenged the call because it was contact with Doughty that sent Drury off-balance into Forsberg, but the no-goal ruling was upheld and the home side assessed a penalty for the failed challenge.

Per the NHL, the review confirmed a ruling in accordance with Rule 69.1 which states, in part, “Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within in his crease or defend his goal.”

It’s been a thorny season, to say the least, for the Avs with league rulings on goalie interference, so maybe it was fitting for the first puck in the net this postseason to be a controversial one.

“I saw Jack Drury driving the front of the net, and I saw Doughty make contact,” Bednar said. “Disguised it pretty well, but backs into him, knocks him off his edges into the goalie and we shot in the net. To me, I’d like to see it count. They saw it different, not losing any sleep over it. Kill the penalty and move on.”

There were a lot of tense moments in the opening 35 minutes before Lehkonen’s goal. Colorado dominated the puck for the first 5-6 minutes of this game, but not nearly as much as expected after that.

The Kings had two great chances to steal the opening goal, but both Doughty and Artemi Panarin missed an open net with chances when Wedgewood was down or out of position to make a stop. Colorado also had three chances with the power play, but came up empty.

O’Connor did get his first goal of the 2025-26 season early in the third to give the home side a cushion. Drury sent the puck towards the Kings end as he was heading towards the bench, and after a couple of bounces on the Ball Arena ice, O’Connor was able to track it down behind an unsuspecting Kings defense and then roof an in-tight shot past Forsberg.

It was O’Connor’s first goal since Game 4 of the opening-round series against Dallas last year. He had two assists in 13 regular-season contests this year after missing much of the campaign with offseason hip surgery and then a second undisclosed issue that popped up during his recovery.

His goal was part of an excellent afternoon for Colorado’s fourth line, which included O’Connor, Drury and Joel Kiviranta — not Ross Colton, who had practiced with that group Saturday but became the odd-man out for Game 1.

Panarin ended Wedgewood’s shutout bid with 2:22 remaining in third period. He scored through some traffic with the Kings on the power play and with the goalie pulled.

Joel Armia took a high-sticking penalty with 1:48 remaining to short-circuit any hope of a late Los Angeles comeback.

Wedgewood, 33, became the eighth-oldest goalie in league history to make his first NHL playoff start. He finished the regular season with the league’s best save percentage (.921) and goals against average (2.02) and it was hard to argue with his coach’s decision after this opening act.

“Yeah, just a really consistent presence back there for us,” Avs defenseman Cale Makar said. “He made the saves when we needed him to. Wish we could have helped them out on the one there, but just tough. I thought he played great and helped us out a lot.”

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����ap 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 Avalanche had a chance to clinch the Central Division and the top seed in the Western Conference on Sunday, but the St. Louis Blues ruined the moment with a 3-2 victory at Ball Arena. St. Louis’ top line dominated, and Robert Thomas posted his first career hat trick, including the game-winner with just under three minutes left to bury Colorado.

The Avs, playing without Valeri Nichushkin on Sunday due to an upper-body injury and also still without Cale Makar due to an upper-body injury, couldn’t muster enough finishing touch on offense. Then the defense wilted at a critical moment, sealing the defeat.

“We gave up too many odd-man rushes,” Avs head coach Jared Bednar said. “(The first goal) was because we’re disorganized coming into our zone, because they had numbers beating us up the ice. Odd-man rush on the second one, odd-man rush on the third one, and that can’t happen.”

Bednar said there’s a possibility Nichushkin is back on the ice for Colorado’s next game on Tuesday in St. Louis.

“I don’t want to be playing guys hurt if it can get worse,” Bednar said. “That’s what we did today with Val.”

On Sunday, in front of a sold-out Easter crowd, both teams squandered a couple of opportunities early, including Nathan MacKinnon missing a one-on-one and then the Blues also whiffing on a similar chance. Neither mustered a shot on net in those scenarios.\

“I just couldn’t finish (all game),” MacKinnon said. “It was one of those nights. Felt good, legs felt good, just couldn’t find the spots.”

About 10 minutes through the frame, the Avs briefly took the lead when Ross Colton batted a rebound out of the air and into the net off a deflection from the weak side. But upon video review on a St. Louis challenge, Colorado was offside, negating the goal.

A few minutes later, St. Louis took control off a chaotic sequence in front of the Colorado net. MacKenzie Blackwood made three saves at close range, but the Avs couldn’t clear the puck, and Thomas made them pay with a slap shot from the slot. That beat Blackwood on the top right shelf.

But the Avs responded, with Brent Burns — who was honored before the game for his 1,000-game streak that hit the milestone on Saturday in the road win over Dallas — forcing the action. Burns’ wrister through traffic deflected off Parker Kelly, then off a Blues defender and goalie Joel Hofer to equalize the game at 1-1.

In the second period, both teams scored within 29 seconds of each other to push the score to 2-2.

Burns’ wrister from up near the blue line found its way through traffic and into the bottom right corner of the net for Colorado’s first lead. Before PA announcer Alan Roach was even done celebrating the goal, however, St. Louis scored. Off an Avs’ chance, the Blues reversed the ice in a 3-on-2 rush that led to a tic-tac-toe pass and Thomas’ second goal of the night.

Five minutes into the third, the Avs nearly had a short-handed goal when Hofer got drawn out of the crease, but Colorado couldn’t punch it in amid a mass of bodies in front of the net.

And it was St. Louis that had the final say in a 2-on-1 rush, when Thomas got the feed from Jimmy Snuggerud on the weak side of the net and easily put the game-winner home. Snuggerud pulled off a toe-drag to shake Martin Nečas and zip the puck to a wide-open Thomas.

“I don’t know why Marty’s playing D (there),” MacKinnon said. “Tough way to lose.

“It’s a lot of winning and losing, back-and-forth lately. It was a tight game, but it would’ve been nice to just get a point there and take our chances in OT.”

The Avs have just one win in their last seven games in Denver, lacking the home cooking they had going earlier in the season, when they put together a 17-game home winning streak.

“We’re chasing the game a bit (at home),” Kelly said. “We want to make sure this is a tough building to play in and right now, it’s just kind of frustrating (with the recent results at home).”

Will it be easier to flush Sunday’s loss, considering the back-to-back games against the Blues, who remain in contention for a wild-card spot, and the imminent clinching of the No. 1 Western Conference spot?

“It makes it easier if we beat them on Tuesday,” Bednar said.

Logan O’Connor and Ross Colton will return to the lineup Tuesday night for the Colorado Avalanche against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Gabe Landeskog returned Sunday against the Washington Capitals, so the last remaining injured forward is Artturi Lehkonen, who skated Tuesday morning and is also close to returning.

O’Connor will make his season debut. He missed the first 69 games of the season, originally because of offseason hip surgery, but his absence was extended by a second, undisclosed issue that befuddled the organization and took months to diagnose. The Avs forward said it is completely healed now and should not be an issue moving forward.

Colton was injured during a March 10 game against Edmonton and has missed the past six contests. He has eight goals and 23 points in 60 games for Colorado this season.

The reinforcements will finally allow coach Jared Bednar to move Nazem Kadri to his natural center position. Kadri, acquired just before the March 6 trade deadline, has played the first eight games of his Avs reunion on the wing on a line with either Nathan MacKinnon or Brock Nelson.

Two days after being ejected against the Edmonton Oilers, MacKinnon returned to the ice with a vengeance. The Colorado Avalanche star had a goal and three assists Thursday night to help his club roll past the Seattle Kraken, 5-1, at Climate Pledge Arena.

“I think he was a little pissed off, to say the least,” Avs forward Nazem Kadri said. “I like that side of Nate, when he gets a little choked and wants to come out and shove up it everybody’s you know what.”

The NHL rescinded MacKinnon’s game misconduct, and he resumed his pursuit of Edmonton’s Connor McDavid in the scoring race with a huge night. Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves, and is now 5-0 since the Olympic break.

The Avs did not have captain Gabe Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen or Ross Colton because of injuries, and they played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the first time this season. MacKinnon and the top line provided all the offense Colorado needed and then some.

“He’s fun to watch,” Avs forward Nicolas Roy said. “Really fun to watch when he’s on your side. I mean, he’s one of those very few special players who has special talent that you can’t really explain. He’s just got it all.”

MacKinnon sent a cross-ice pass from the outer edge of the left circle to Martin Necas, who was cutting towards the right post. Devon Toews touched the puck en route but didn’t change the trajectory and Necas was able to corral it and bury his 30th goal of the season at 3:45 of the opening period.

Necas set his career high with his 29th goal two days ago against Edmonton. He has been on a scoring tear since the Olympic break. He is now tied for the league lead in goals (eight) and first in points (17) since the break.

MacKinnon attempted a cross-crease pass intended for Kadri at the left post later in the period, but this one hit Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson’s skate and went in the net. It became MacKinnon’s league-leading 44th goal of the year at 12:54 of the period.

Colorado’s suddenly competent power play made it a 3-0 advantage late in the period. Necas made a nice play to break up a potential one-timer in the slot, then drew a double-minor for high-sticking as he battled with Jordan Eberle for the loose puck.

MacKinnon sent the puck into the slot for Brock Nelson. He didn’t get much on his shot attempt, but the puck trickled right to Roy at the edge of the crease and he collected his second goal in four games with the Avs. Roy, who had five goals in 59 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Avs, was on the ice with the first power-play unit because Necas was getting looked at on the bench.

“Today, it was pretty much a tap-in, so a good opportunity on the first unit there,” Roy said. “They made a play, and a lucky bounce too. But overall, I think I can obviously be more offensive. You look at past years, and I always had around 15 goals. I’ve got that in me, and I know I can bring more here.”

Colorado’s power play is now 7 of 30 (23.3%) since the Olympic break, after reaching the hiatus with the league’s worst efficiency (15.1%). While it looks much better than in the offensive zone than it did a month ago, one issue still persists.

The Avs lead the league in shorthanded goals allowed, and No. 12 came in the second period. Roy, back with the second unit, fell near the center red line after receiving a pass from Brent Burns. Chandler Stephenson was there to grab the puck, lead a break the other way and hit Ryker Evans trailing the play for a goal at 13:36 of the second.

Kadri restored the three-goal advantage with 2:49 remaining in the middle period. MacKinnon dropped the puck for Sam Malinski at the right point. Kadri tipped Malinski’s point shot past ex-Avs goalie Philipp Grubauer, who had replaced Joey D’Accord in the Seattle net after the first period.

That was Kadri’s 13th goal of the season, and his first since returning to Colorado in a trade just before the deadline last week.

“That one felt good,” Kadri said. “I feel like I’ve had a few chances before that in prior games. It was just nice to get that off my chest.”

Joel Kiviranta added Colorado’s fifth goal at 12:41 of the third period. Josh Manson’s shot from the left point went off Kiviranta and into the net, giving the Finnish Olympian his third goal of the season.

MacKinnon’s four-point night edged him closer to McDavid. The Colorado star is up to 108 points, two behind McDavid with two more games left on his schedule.

The league rescinded MacKinnon’s game misconduct from Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche star told The Denver Post on Thursday morning.

“I think (general manager Chris MacFarland) asked them to review it, from what I know, and they took it away,” MacKinnon said. “Mistakes happen.”

MacKinnon was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct late in the second period of Colorado’s 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Ball Arena after he collided with goaltender Connor Ingram.

While the NHL’s decision doesn’t change anything about Tuesday night, it is an important distinction for MacKinnon moving forward.

, “any player who incurs a total of two game misconduct penalties in the “Physical Infractions Category,” before playing in 41 consecutive regular season league games without such penalty, shall be suspended automatically for the next league game of his team. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty, the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.”

Mikko Rantanen is the most recent player who was suspended for a game because of the policy. Rantanen was assessed two game misconducts in a three-game span earlier this season and was suspended for Dallas’ next contest.

The physical infractions category includes boarding, charging, checking from behind, clipping, elbowing, head-butting, interference and kneeing. MacKinnon’s game misconduct counter is now reset to zero, for the purposes of rule 23.6.

How the play happened

MacKinnon was driving to the net near the right post for a cross-ice pass from Brock Nelson. Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse met MacKinnon at the edge of the crease and made contact with the Avs star.

MacKinnon then crashed into Ingram, causing an injury that forced the goaltender from the game. After a lengthy review, the officials confirmed the major interference penalty. He was also assessed a game misconduct because of the injury to Ingram, who left the game and did not return.

“I just assumed they wanted to review it and that’s why they gave the five, and then I thought I’d be back on the ice for a power play,” MacKinnon said. “I knew I got hit. There’s a picture of me with my skates going above the crease. So I got hit. Nurse made a good play on the puck and hit me after. There was nothing I could do.”

The Avs were able to kill off the major penalty against MacKinnon and tie the game in the third period, but Connor McDavid scored with 10:57 remaining and the home team was unable to mount another comeback.

After the loss, Avs coach Jared Bednar said the play should not have been a penalty of any kind, let alone a major infraction and a game misconduct.

“Like I said, mistakes happen. They know they made a mistake and that’s why they took away the five,” MacKinnon said. “Obviously, I wasn’t doing anything on purpose. I was playing the puck and I got hit.

“It was bizarre, especially when you know you didn’t do anything wrong.”

FOOTNOTES: Defenseman Nick Blankenburg will make his Avalanche debut Thursday night against the Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Blankenburg was acquired March 4 from the Nashville Predators for a 2027 fifth-round pick. Colorado will play Seattle with 11 forwards and seven defensemen because Ross Colton, injured Tuesday against Edmonton, is not available and the Avs decided against calling up a forward from the Colorado Eagles.

He watched after contact with defenseman Darnell Nurse during a 4-3 loss Tuesday night at Ball Arena. He reviewed multiple angles of the play.

More than an hour after it happened, he still couldn’t understand how MacKinnon was ejected.

“The first thing I looked at for me, I look at the overhead (camera angle),” Bednar said. “He makes the play on the puck, and I’ve got his toes cutting up ice, probably through the top of the paint and Ingram’s on the goal line. I don’t think there’s a chance — there’s no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. He’s not hitting the goalie.

“I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured, (or) it’s a severe crash, not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty. If you put guys into your own goalie, it’s not a penalty. That’s the way I see it.”

MacKinnon was assessed a game misconduct after his collision with Ingram late in the second period. Because the officials called it a major penalty on the ice, they reviewed the play. It was the longest review of the season in an Avs game.

The call was upheld — a five-minute penalty and an ejection. Bednar was not happy with the explanation he received.

“No,” Bednar said. “Well, not a good one. The goalie is hurt, so it’s five? Again, I don’t really give a crap if their goalie is hurt. That’s on their D-man, not our guy.”

‘He’s not going to cut into a goalie like that’

Bednar wasn’t alone. Avalanche players were frustrated shortly after the loss.

Colorado finished the game with just 10 forwards because Ross Colton was injured midway through the game and MacKinnon was not allowed to play the final 20:35.

“I don’t think he tried to take the goalie out,” Avs goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood said. “His route was good. He was mid-to-high crease and he was kind of leaned on. I don’t think it was a five. Maybe a two, but I don’t know.”

Avs star Cale Makar was on the ice when the play occurred, and, with captain Gabe Landeskog out of the lineup, discussed it with the officials.

“I haven’t really seen it,” Makar said. “It’s tough, because Nate is one of those guys … he’s got some of the best spatial awareness in the league. He’s not going to cut into the goalie like that.

“The explanation we got from the refs was that (Nurse) didn’t nudge him enough into the goalie — he was taking his route there already. Obviously, there’s a lot of gray area in that, but I can’t comment on it too much because I haven’t looked at it yet.”

This is the second game misconduct of MacKinnon’s career. He was driving hard to the net with Colorado on the power play. Brock Nelson had the puck on the left wing and tried to hit MacKinnon with a pass near the right post.

The pass didn’t connect, then Nurse made contact with MacKinnon, who went flying into Ingram.

“Not when there’s contact (from the defenseman) in the crease,” Nazem Kadri said when asked if he’d ever seen a major penalty for goalie interference. “Clearly, I think Nate makes an effort. He’s diving across the top of the crease to try to get out of the way. That’s a part of the rule for the player to at least make some sort of attempt. There was clear contact (from Nurse), and I have no idea how that was a five minute (penalty).”

A frustrating result

The last period of this game was chaotic. Colorado tied the game. Edmonton retook the lead and held on.

In between, the Ball Arena patrons were merciless in their jeering of the officials. Players from both sides threw their hands up in the air at times, the unofficial signal for “that’s a penalty.”

After the game, both Bednar and Kadri clearly weren’t happy with the work from the guys in stripes — and not just the decision to eject the team’s leading scoring and league MVP candidate on an unusual and controversial call.

“I think we had a good push, but obviously there were a couple more, you know, questionable calls,” Kadri said. “I think it was a little lopsided tonight in terms of that.”

“It was a great game up until (the MacKinnon penalty). It was a good battle out there. Players were playing hard. It’s unfortunate that’s how it’s got to end.”

Added Bednar: “I’m not going to make it about the officiating, but it’s part of the game. We were shorthanded, taking slashes and it’s not called. We’re going to look away. Then Nelson dances a guy in the neutral zone and gets tripped … like, that’s what the penalties are for.

“If someone makes a high-skill play, McDavid beats one of our guys and we put a stick on him in the wrong spot or we hook, hold, whatever it is, the officiating is supposed to reward the skill. And they were going to call everything but the stuff when a guy makes a high-skill play and gets into a dangerous spot. I just don’t get it. That’s my frustration.”

Avs star Nathan MacKinnon was ejected late in the second period of a 4-3 loss at Ball Arena after a collision with Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram. Connor McDavid scored the game-winning goal for the Oilers midway through the final period. Ross Colton also left this game for Colorado with an upper-body injury.

“Not quite sure how we got to that point, to be honest with you,” Avs forward Nazem Kardi said. “I mean, (the penalty) was reviewed too, so I was definitely surprised. But we were short on the forward side of things tonight, and obviously, with the penalty kills, it made it a little tough to come back.”

MacKinnon skated hard to the net and tried to redirect a pass from Brock Nelson near the right post. He didn’t and then crashed into Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram.

The Oilers’ goalie left the game with an injury. Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse made contact with MacKinnon just before he collided with the goalie.

The officials called it a major penalty, then confirmed the call  and the game misconduct after a lengthy review.

“I don’t think there’s a chance — there’s no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured (or) it’s a severe crash, not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty. If you put guys into your own goalie, it’s not a penalty. That’s the way I see it.”

Ingram did not return after MacKinnon collided with him, and the Oilers also lost forward Colton Dach and defenseman Ty Emberson to injuries as well.

McDavid scored Edmonton’s second power-play goal of the night put the Oilers back in front with 10:57 remaining in the third. A quick give-and-go with Leon Draisaitl set up his 36th goal of the season and made it a 4-3 game.

Valeri Nichushkin had tied this contest 1:59 prior to McDavid’s tally. The Avs killed off the MacKinnon major penalty, then Sam Malinski found Nichushkin with a shot-pass in the slot for his 14th goal of the year.

“Obviously we get the big kill and then go out there and get one. It’s great,” Avs star Cale Makar said. “We needed that. It felt like we got a lot of juice from that. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t hold them off on their last power play.”

Colton gave the Avs the lead on the first shift of the game. He collected the puck at the top of the offensive zone, had a full two seconds to survey his options and then his shot was deflected by an Edmonton stick in front. The goal came just 32 seconds in and was Colton’s eighth of the year.

Edmonton answered back at 8:13 on the power play. McDavid drew a penalty, then set up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in front on the ensuing power play.

The Avs had the second-best penalty kill in the NHL at the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics at 84.7%, but the PK has struggled since the restart. Colorado is now 23 for 32 (71.9%) on the kill since the break.

“You start with your defending details,” Bednar said. “On the first one, that’s a bad read. … And on the last one, same thing.

“It can’t happen. Our detail in our penalty kill isn’t as good as it needs to be. It’s why it was so good all year. We’ve got guys making wrong reads and not doing the job that they need to do to keep it out of our net.”

Martin Necas answered with a power-play goal for the Avs at 15:41 of the first, but another defensive breakdown left Jack Roslovic all lone in front of the Colorado net for an equalizer with 24.8 seconds left in the opening period.

Nugent-Hopkins added his second of the game at 4:15 of the second, the lone tally of the period. At that point, Mackenzie Blackwood had allowed three goals on nine shots after being pulled in his previous start at Dallas, but the Avs netminder played much better throughout the rest of the contest.

Still, the penalty and game misconduct for MacKinnon, the NHL’s goal-scoring leader and Hart Trophy candidate, overshadowed everything else in this contest. It was the second game misconduct of MacKinnon’s career.

“Going (10) forwards for almost half the game is not easy, but it’s the hand we were dealt,” Kadri said. “We tried to come back. I thought we had a good push, but the end of the day, I think there’s a lot of things we could clean up tonight.”

That means Jared Bednar is going to spend the final weeks of the regular season tinkering and experimenting. The Avs traded for Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy, but key forwards Gabe Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen are both week-to-week with injuries.

Both Kadri and Roy were added to fortify what is now the best collection of centers in the NHL, but that doesn’t mean either, or both, is always going to line up in the middle of the ice. Case in point, Kadri’s return to the Avs lineup came on the wing, next to Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas in a 3-2 shootout win Sunday against the Minnesota Wild.

“No Gabe. That’s it,” Bednar said of Kadri playing on the wing. “I want him to play with our top-end guys, and in order to do that for me, he’s got to play on the wing right now.

“I started him and put him with MacK and Marty (to) see how it looked. And I liked the way it looked. I thought they were dangerous right from the get-go at the start of the game, and created a lot of dangerous scoring chances, so thought I’d leave them together.”

Kadri and MacKinnon teamed up for Colorado’s first goal. Roy, who split time during the afternoon between center and wing, scored the game-tying goal in the third period.

Toss in Logan O’Connor, who hasn’t played all season after offseason hip surgery and another undisclosed injury that popped up during his rehab process, and Colorado is missing three forwards who could be in the top nine come playoff time.

Kadri took line rushes during warmups with Valeri Nichushkin and Brock Nelson, but Bednar wanted to start the fan favorite in his return and just stuck with it.

“I haven’t played wing in years, actually,” Kadri said. “When I found out about that, I knew I had to be a little bit sharp (Sunday). I don’t mind playing it. … Playing with those guys, they make it easy on me. We were able to have some chemistry, make some great plays.”

The permutations for Bednar are plentiful. The lead in the Central Division and the Western Conference is getting closer to insurmountable. Colorado leads Dallas by seven points and Minnesota by 10, with 20 games to play and contests in hand on both clubs.

That means the environment is primed for experimentation. When everyone is healthy — or if the Avs are fortunate enough to get everyone healthy together — the forward group should be downright terrifying.

Will the Avs roll out MacKinnon, Nelson, Kadri and Roy at center? Could Kadri or Roy play on the wing, with Jack Drury slotting in as the No. 4 center?

Necas, Lehkonen, Nichushkin and Landeskog have been the club’s top four wings when they’re available all season, but could Ross Colton, Kadri or Roy end up on the second line with one of the big four on the third unit to further balance out the group and make it even tougher on opposing coaches trying to pick and choose matchups?

“I think it gives us flexibility,” Bednar said. “Like, if someone is having a bad night, it’s our coaching staff’s job to recognize that and move somebody around. We want to be dangerous throughout our lineup.

“If we want to go with MacK, Nelly, Naz down the middle, they can play with good wingers that can help create offense and score and still check other teams’ top lines. I think we’re going to have some really good options as we get into it and we’ll just keep experimenting a little bit here through the regular season.”

Kadri has been here before, knows the system and many of his teammates and therefore should have a pretty easy transition. It’s a different situation for Roy.

He was a versatile player for years with the Vegas Golden Knights. That’s clearly the way Bednar wants to deploy him. The coach noted Roy’s time spent as a bottom-six center but also in more offensive roles on the wing with the Golden Knights.

“For myself, I’m just going to try and be the same player as I always have (been),” Roy said. “Not the most flashy out there, but I try to be a little bit of everything, do everything right. I’m really excited.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a different plan for Roy. He was used in an extreme defensive role in Toronto, starting more shifts in the defensive zone than he has at any point in his career.

It may take him a little time to re-adjust to different expectations while learning the nuances and tendencies of both the system and his teammates.

“I think he’s trying to figure it out,” Bednar said. “Systematic stuff, playing safe, being responsible. I think that’s kind of his mentality, and it’s my job to help drive a little more offense out of him, get him skating and being impactful on both sides of the puck.”

Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin scored in the one-on-one competition Sunday afternoon, and the Avs knocked off the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, at Ball Arena. They also beat the Dallas Stars in a shootout Friday night, securing a huge four points to put the Central Division title and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in clear view.

Colorado led the Stars by nine points and the Wild by 10 after the win, though Dallas had a game to play later Sunday night. The Avs were 1-5 in shootouts before this weekend.

“It was great,” Avs goaltender Scott Wedgewood said after making 32 saves and three more in the shootout. “I think it foreshadows that it is probably going to take some extra time come playoff time. I think you just get that upper edge. You feel like you beat them, regardless of how you beat them.”

Nazem Kadri had an assist in his return to the Avs after being acquired Friday afternoon in a trade with the Calgary Flames.

Two of the other new guys teamed up to help the Avs get even at 2-2. Nicolas Roy tipped a Brett Kulak shot from the left point past Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt at 12:39 of the third period. It was Roy’s first goal with the Avs after being acquired Thursday in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Colorado entered the day 33-0-0 when leading after two periods. The Avs wobbled in the third, but they are now 34-0-0.

“Obviously at that point, we needed a goal,” Roy said. “Just tried to switch the mindset up a little bit, tried to attack a little more. It was good to get one there. Good timing.”

While the Avs have been historically great for much of this season at even strength, they nearly lost this contest on special teams. Minnesota rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the first half of the third period with a pair of special-teams tallies.

Kirill Kaprizov scored four seconds into a Wild power play after Ross Colton went to the penalty box for slashing. Kaprizov was shooting for Matt Boldy’s stick, but the official scored determined it went off Brent Burns’ blade instead and just inside the far post at 4:17 of the third.

Then, with the Avs on the power play, old friend Nico Sturm got behind everyone and scored shorthanded at 7:01. That is Colorado’s 11th shorthanded goal against this season, which leads the NHL.

The Avs went 0-for-5 with the man advantage in this contest and yielded a shorthanded goal. That’s a bad day at the office, even though Colorado’s first unit did create far more chances than it has on other scoreless days this season.

MacKinnon had the lone goal of the opening two periods. Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes tried to leave the puck for a teammate, but Kadri jumped the drop pass and then sent it to MacKinnon cutting to the net.

The league leader scored his 43rd of the season at 12:19 of the second, and immediately pointed across the to ice to Kadri.

The Ball Arena crowd gave Kadri several loud ovations — during warmups, when he was introduced in the starting lineup and after a welcome back video during the first television timeout. He got another one after setting up MacKinnon’s goal.

Kadri spent three seasons with Colorado from 2019-22, but became one of the most popular players in recent franchise history.

His run culminated with the club’s third Stanley Cup championship in 2022. Kadri signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames a few weeks after lifting the Cup with the Avs, then returned Friday afternoon in a trade completed just before the deadline.

“It was emotional,” Kadri said. “Just seeing the support I get here, it was absolutely incredible. Just makes me want to play harder for these fans and this team.”

FOOTNOTE: Avs captain Gabe Landeskog missed the game is “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. Landeskog got hit in the groin area with a Cale Makar shot during the second period Friday night, but finished the game and played nearly 23 minutes in the 5-4 shootout win. He took nine shifts in the third period.

“It’s a lower-body injury, not a comfortable one,” Bednar said. “That’s the timeframe the doctor gave us.”