DENVER — Different opponent. Same result.
In each of the previous four seasons, the Kings opened the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. They lost each time.
So on Sunday the Kings tried a different route, opening against the Colorado Avalanche.
They lost, 2-1.
The Colorado goals came from Artturi Lehkonen late in the second period and Logan O’Connor early in the third. The Kings made a game of it late, pulling goaltender Anton Fosberg with 2:57 to play and getting a power-play goal from Artemi Panarin 35 seconds later.
But if the Kings lost the game, they also gained a ton of confidence with the way they played against the winningest team in the NHL this season.
“The guys did what they had to do and played the right way,” interim coach D.J. Smith said “It is what it is. We’re down in the series, but a lot of good things.”
“We played a good game overall,” forward Scott Laughton added. “You don’t get the results, so it’s disappointing. But a lot of things to build on.”
The Kings came in knowing good wasn’t going to be good enough against the team that won the Presidents’ Trophy, the prize that goes to the team with the best regular-season record. And the Avalanche earned that honor, scoring the most goals and giving up the fewest in the NHL. They also had the best home record in the Western Conference and the best road record in the league.
But with Forsberg making a number of spectacular saves, the Kings played Colorado even until Lehkonen, defended tightly by defenseman Drew Doughty, was able to reach out his stick and sweep in the rebound of Nathan MacKinnon’s shot from the right boards to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead with 4:31 left in the second period.
A major gaffe allowed Colorado to double its advantage 5:50 into the third period, with Joel Edmundson failing to handle a loose puck in the Kings’ zone, enabling O’Connor to collect it and race defenseman Cody Ceci to the front of the net before beating Forsberg cleanly.
“It just comes down to a couple of bounces, a couple of plays,” defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “Then they find a way to capitalize.”
The game, which had been physical all afternoon, turned chippy after that, and when Colorado’s Brock Nelson took an unnecessary high-sticking penalty at 17:03 of the final period, it gave the Kings their fourth power play. This time they took advantage, with Panarin halving the deficit with a wrist shot from just inside the blue line.
Although the Kings ranked in the bottom five in both the power play and penalty kill, they won the special teams battle in Game 1, scoring the only power-play goal and killing all four man-advantage situations for the Avalanche.
Gabriel Landeskog of the Avalanche fights for the puck against Scott Laughton and Joel Edmundson of the Kings.
(Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
And while Laughton believes the late goal and the special-teams play give the Kings momentum heading into the second game of the best-of-seven series Tuesday, Anderson said the team doesn’t need to rely on moral victories with the way it has been playing.
“We’re confident,” he said. “We’ve been feeling good about our game. We’ve been playing pretty good hockey. Everyone knows how good they are, but I think we have a good team in here.
“The feeling around the [locker] room the last couple weeks, it’s been very high.”
The series still has a long way to go. And while the Kings’ playoff history with Edmonton never was encouraging, this time they actually may have history on their side.
Although the Kings haven’t won a postseason series since 2014, when they hoisted the Stanley Cup, the Avalanche are dealing with the Presidents’ Trophy curse. Only eight teams have won both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season; an equal number have gone out in the first round.
Colorado might have had the best record in the NHL, but Smith said the fact the Kings finally are playing anyone but Edmonton is a boost.
“If you’ve lost a couple years in a row, three years in a row, it’s in your mind that you have to outperform rather than just do what you do,” he said. “And I think this is brand new.
“Everyone knows that’s the Presidents’ Trophy winner. There’s a huge job ahead of us. But it’s a fresh start.”
