Artturi Lehkonen delivered a crucial insurance goal midway through the third period, helping the Colorado Avalanche pull away for a 4–2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.

With the victory, Colorado takes a commanding 3–0 lead in the first-round playoff series. The Avalanche haven't picked up a four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs since their Stanley Cup championship in 2022, when they dominated the Nashville Predators.

Gabriel Landeskog set the tone early, Cale Makar added his trademark burst from the blue line, and Brock Nelson chipped in another timely finish as Colorado dictated the pace for long stretches.

Scott Wedgewood was calm when it mattered most, turning aside 24 of 26 shots to help put the Avalanche one win away from advancing.

Los Angeles didn’t go quietly. They haven’t all series. The Kings outshot Colorado 12–7 in the opening period and got goals from Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore, while Anton Forsberg delivered another strong effort in net. But despite the push, the result feels all too familiar—Los Angeles now sits one loss away from a first-round exit for the fifth straight season.

This time, though, it won’t be the Edmonton Oilers delivering the coup de grâce.

Nearly four minutes in, Forsberg had to be sharp early, flashing the glove on a slick redirect from Lehkonen that looked labeled for the corner.

Colorado broke through at 5:29 thanks to a gritty sequence. After a hard-fought puck battle behind the net, the puck kicked out to Landeskog, who spun and fired from a sharp angle. It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t need to be—the puck ricocheted off the end boards, clipped Forsberg’s right skate, and trickled across the line for a 1–0 lead.

The Kings got their first chance to respond on the power play with just over five minutes left after a cross-checking call on Manson, but Colorado’s penalty kill held firm.

Moments later, Manson took a heavy hit into the Kings’ bench from Edmundson and tumbled awkwardly, eventually heading down the tunnel. The period closed with another penalty—Byfield went off for elbowing Drury—but the Avalanche carried their one-goal edge into the intermission.

Manson didn’t return right away to start the second, and Colorado couldn’t take advantage of the remaining power-play time.

When he did come back, the game quickly turned chaotic. A shot from the right circle created a scramble in front, and Moore was credited with the tying goal after the puck deflected through traffic. On the same sequence, a high stick from Manson caught Moore up high and drew blood. What was initially called a double minor was trimmed to two minutes once the goal stood.

Not long after, Manson disappeared down the tunnel again, clearly laboring, while Malinski also made a brief exit before returning to the bench.

Colorado regained control midway through the period. At 12:12, Makar stepped into space and wired a wrist shot through a maze of bodies, the puck sneaking past a fully screened Forsberg and into the top corner to restore the lead.

Tensions boiled over later in the frame when Helenius drove MacKinnon from behind, sending him hard to the ice. The officials handed out matching minors, a call that didn’t sit well given the force of the hit.

The Kings pushed hard late, tilting the ice and forcing Wedgewood to stay busy, but Colorado bent without breaking. Despite being outshot 19–15 through two, the Avalanche carried a 2–1 lead into the third.

Early in the third, Byfield took his second penalty of the night, hauling down Makar as he cut toward the net. It was a necessary foul, but Colorado’s power play once again came up empty.

Seconds after the kill, the momentum flipped again—this time for good. Kulak was whistled for interference, and while Los Angeles looked poised to capitalize, Lehkonen struck shorthanded. On a clean 2-on-1 rush, he snapped a shot that deflected off Kempe’s skate and slipped through Forsberg, stretching the lead to 3–1 and silencing the building.

From there, Forsberg did everything he could to keep it close. Pad save, blocker save, rebound control—he gave the Kings a chance.

They finally found life late. With just over four minutes remaining, a tripping call on Drury opened the door. Los Angeles pulled the goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage, and Kempe redirected a shot past Wedgewood to cut the deficit to one.

The push was on, and the building had energy again.

But it didn’t last.

After pulling the goalie a second time, a miscue at the blue line proved costly. Nelson jumped on the loose puck and buried it into the empty net, sealing the 4–2 final and pushing Colorado to the brink of a sweep.

The Avalanche will have a chance to pick up the four-game sweep on Sunday when they take on the Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. local time.