Brock Nelson and Parker Kelly scored in the opening period as the Avalanche took a 2-1 lead over the Kings into the first intermission despite being outshot 13-
DENVER — The 2026-27 season is officially underway at Ball Arena, and the Colorado Avalanche wasted little time reminding everyone just how dangerous they can be, taking a 2-1 lead over the Los Angeles Kings into the first intermission
First Period
The opening draw of the 2026-27 season was won by the Avalanche. After briefly losing possession, Nathan MacKinnon drove the puck down the ice and fired the game’s first shot, which Darcy Kuemper easily gathered.
Colorado generated a quality opportunity nearly three minutes into the game when Nazem Kadri gained control along the left wing and carried the puck into the offensive zone before finding an open Nicolas Roy. Roy closed in on Kuemper, but the 2024-25 Vezina Trophy finalist turned aside the high-danger chance with a blocker save.
The Avalanche were awarded their first power play of the season when Kings forward Andre Lee shot the puck out of play for a delay-of-game penalty. For the first time this season, Avalanche fans got a look at the supposedly new-and-improved power play.
And improved it was.
Colorado opened the scoring at 6:33 when Brock Nelson capitalized on a broken play. Jaden Schwartz’s pass was initially intended for Artturi Lehkonen, but the puck deflected off his stick and landed perfectly for Nelson, who was waiting in the slot. The veteran forward snapped it past Kuemper just inside the left post for his first goal of the season.
Just past the halfway mark, Colorado went to its first penalty kill of the season after Schwartz was whistled for hooking.
With nearly nine minutes remaining in the period, Los Angeles had a golden opportunity to tie the game when Adrian Kempe — the Kings’ leading scorer last season — unloaded a blistering one-timer from the low slot. But MacKenzie Blackwood was up to the task, making a spectacular save to keep Colorado ahead 1-0.
The Avalanche successfully killed off the penalty, starting the season a perfect 1-for-1 on both the power play and penalty kill.
Los Angeles eventually broke through with 4:46 remaining. Brian Dumoulin took a drop pass from Alex Laferriere and fired a shot through a maze of bodies in front of Blackwood, beating the goaltender to tie the game 1-1.
Devon Toews was sent to the penalty box for holding with roughly four minutes remaining after Joel Armia slashed his stick out of his hands. Toews responded by shoving Armia, but it was the Avalanche defenseman who ultimately received the penalty.
Just three seconds after the penalty expired, Parker Kelly restored Colorado’s lead.
Fresh off a career-high 21-goal season, the 27-year-old forward took a pass from Josh Manson and fired a wrist shot that deflected off Kuemper and into the net with 2:02 remaining. It was Kelly’s first goal of the season, and fittingly, Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” began playing over the loudspeakers inside Ball Arena immediately afterward.
Adrian Kempe and Kings captain Drew Doughty were both penalized late in the period, with Kempe called for tripping Schwartz and Doughty assessed a cross-checking penalty against T.J. Hughes. The penalty came just moments after Hughes, making his professional debut, was denied by Kuemper on a rebound opportunity.
After 20 minutes, the Avalanche held a 2-1 lead despite Los Angeles holding a 13-10 advantage in shots on net.
Second Period
The Avalanche started off the period with 1:12 left on a 5-on-3 power play. And reminiscent of the first man advantage, they did not miss. MacKinnon, the reigning Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy recipient for the league's leading goal scorer, made it a 3-1 game just 23 seconds into the period.
However, the Kings responded with a strike of their own. Moments after T.J. Hughes had his pocket picked by Joel Armia, the latter snapped a wrister by Blackwood to make it a one-goal game.
At 8:33, MacKinnon added his second of the night on a scintillating play. It all started went Brent Burns connected with Martin Necas on a pass to center-ice. Necas, a 100-point scorer for the first time this past season, skated up the ice, evaded a check, and left a pass for MacKinnon, who skated it in and blistered a wrist shot by Kuemper to double the lead.
Hughes was penalized with about 7:36 remaining in the period after he was called for roughing Brandt Clarke moments after the Kings forward took Cale Makar down from behind during a breakaway attempt.
