The Colorado Avalanche earned a historic victory Monday night, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 at Crypto.com Arena to earn the franchise’s 1,750th regular season victory.
A goal late in the third period from defenseman Devon Toews made the difference, while Martin Nečas produced a dominant three-point performance (one goal, two assists). Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog each contributed a goal and an assist as Colorado improved to 40-10-9 on the season. In net, Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 19 of 21 shots to secure the victory.
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What happened
Colorado established control early.
MacKinnon opened the scoring just 4:27 into the first period, sending a one-timer from the slot on a rushing chance created by Nečas. The goal – his 41st of the season – continued his torrid attacking pace and immediately calmed the home crowd.
The Avalanche doubled their advantage at 10:13 of the first period. Landeskog scored a one-timer from the high position for his eighth of the year after a clean layup from defenseman Brent Burns, showcasing Colorado’s precise puck movement through the neutral zone.
It looked like the visitors were going to pull out an easy victory, but Los Angeles responded late in the period. Brandt Clarke cut the deficit to 2-1 with a power play blast at 17:20, beating Blackwood in traffic.
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At the start of the second period, Martin Nečas saw a goal wiped off the board due to a quick whistle. Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg didn’t have the puck secure and dropped it in the slot. But the officials ruled there was no goal and play continued.
The Kings carried that momentum of good fortune and tied the game at 8:32 when Angus Booth redirected a feed to the left gate, tying the game at 2-2.
The match remained closely contested until the final minutes of regulation.
With 4:55 left in the third period, Toews broke the deadlock with his second goal of the season. MacKinnon controlled the puck high in the zone, skating from the point to the right circle before sending a cross-ice pass into the slot. Toews stepped up and scored his second goal of the season, restoring Colorado’s lead to 3-2.
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Nečas sealed the victory in spectacular fashion at 19:59, scoring into an empty net on the power play for his 26th goal of the year to secure the 4-2 final.
Colorado now focuses on maintaining its momentum as the regular season enters its decisive phase. Unfortunately, they lost the services of Artturi Lehkonen early in the first half due to an upper body injury and Jared Bednar said after the game that the Finnish winger would miss time.
Next
It’s a quick turnaround as the Avalanche continue their road trip Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. MT. The match will be broadcast on Altitude, Altitude+ and Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM.
