DENVER — This was not the debut Peter Laviolette was hoping for in his first game as the Kings’ new head coach.
Nathan MacKinnon scored twice during a four-goal second period and capped his night with a rare fight, as the Colorado Avalanche routed the Kings, 8-4, in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday night.
Artturi Lehkonen also had two goals, Brock Nelson had a goal and two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves for Colorado, which scored four times on the power play and allowed two short-handed goals. Cale Makar, Nazem Kadri, Jaden Schwartz and Devon Toews had two assists each and Gabriel Landeskog scored less than a minute after MacKinnon dropped the gloves.
MacKinnon, who had a career-high 53 goals last season, scored on a 5-on-3 just 23 seconds into the second period and gave the Avs a 4-2 lead with his second at 8:33.
The 2024 NHL MVP, whose last fight was four years ago, dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clark with Colorado leading 6-4 late in the third. Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog scored less than a minute later and Lehkonen iced it with his second 1:03 later.
Trevor Moore, Joel Armia, Brian Dumoulin and Artemi Panarin scored for the Kings, and Darcy Kuemper stopped just 21 of 29 shots. Alex Laferriere added two assists for the Kings, who were doubled up in each period (2-1, 4-2 and 2-1).
Colorado went ahead 1-0 on the power play early in the first on Nelson’s goal off the first of the two assists by Schwartz. Dumoulin tied it at 15:14 with a shot from the top of the left circle, and the Kings had a chance to get another on the power play.
With time winding down, Josh Manson chipped the puck along the boards to Kelly, who carried it into the Kings’ zone on an odd-man rush and beat Kuemper at 17:58.
The Kings took penalties 40 seconds apart late in the first. MacKinnon scored on the two-man advantage 23 seconds into the second period, but Armia answered 1:05 later to cut the Kings’ deficit to 3-2.
MacKinnon made it a two-score game with his second goal at 8:33, and the teams combined for three goals in the final 3:59 of the middle frame.
Roy made it 5-2 when he scored while Schwartz was face down in the crease. Moore scored a short-handed goal at 17:50, but Lehkonen answered on the same power play 44 seconds later to restore the three-goal lead.
Panarin cut the deficit to 6-4 at 11:51, but Landeskog and Lehkonen scored 1:03 apart to cap the scoring.
NEW DEAL
Hours before the game, Colorado coach Jared Bednar was given a four-year contract extension. Bednar, who led Colorado to the 2022 Stanley Cup title, was in the final year of his current contract. The extension ended speculation on his future after being swept by Vegas in the Western Conference finals last spring.
“I didn’t want him to go through the whole year and have those distractions of being asked that same question, especially as the year goes on,” Avs president and general manager Joe Sakic said before Wednesday night’s game.
More to come on this story.
UP NEXT
The Kings play at San Jose on Saturday at 7 p.m.