LOS ANGELES (AP) — Martin Necas scored two goals, Nathan MacKinnon had two assists to become the leading scorer in Avalanche history, and Colorado opened the regular season with a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen also scored during Colorado’s three-goal second period. Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves during a commanding performance by the Avalanche in their first game back from their disappointing first-round playoff exit to Dallas.
Kevin Fiala scored a power-play goal with 4:53 left for the Kings, who matched the franchise records for victories and points last season before their fourth consecutive first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 19 shots for Los Angeles, which made only a few changes under new general manager Ken Holland — but the defense-first club looked slow during the Avs' second period.
Anze Kopitar began his 20th and final NHL season after the Los Angeles captain announced his impending retirement last month.
Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog played in his first season opener since October 2021 and his first regular-season game since March 10, 2022. He missed the past three regular seasons due to multiple knee surgeries, only returning for the playoffs last April.
MacKinnon's first assist was his 1,016th point in 871 games, pushing him past Joe Sakic’s 1,015 points in 870 games for the Avalanche — although Sakic scored an additional 626 points before his Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver.
This game was played exactly 30 years after the Avalanche visited the Forum in Inglewood for their first road game following relocation.
Lehkonen made it 3-0 on a rebound after Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar made a stunning drive to the net. Necas added a power-play goal in the third.
The Kings surprised their fans by wearing a previously unannounced third jersey for the game after warming up in their regular home sweaters. The new jersey is black and silver with the historic crown logo blown up into the main crest.
Avalanche: Host Mammoth on Thursday.
Kings: At Golden Knights on Wednesday.
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