Welcome to Last Word On Hockey’s coverage of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Throughout the playoffs, our writers will preview, predict, and review all the matchups and give in-depth analysis. For this series preview, we will take a look at the Los Angeles Kings against the Colorado Avalanche. Anze Kopitar will play in his final playoff run, while the Presidents’ Trophy winners will look to go for it all in a cup-or-bust year. Game 1 will start at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time or 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on April 19th at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference First Round: Kings vs Avalanche Series Preview

Credit Image: © Spencer Lee/ZUMA Press Wire

To start off the preview, let us look at the tale of the tape for both teams. Colorado holds the advantage in all metrics on the list coming into this series.

 Los Angeles Kings
 Colorado Avalanche

 Record
 35-27-20
 55-16-11

 Season Series
 0-3-0
 3-0-0

 Goals For/Game
 2.68 (29th)
 3.63 (1st)

 Goals Against/Game
 2.90 (7th)
 2.40 (1st)

 Power Play
 17.0% (28th)
 17.1% (27th)

 Penalty Kill
 74.6% (30th)
 84.6% (1st)

2025-26 Season Series Recap

Colorado swept the season series, 3-0, outscoring the Kings 13-5. The third game in particular was a dominant performance by the Avalanche, but the other two games were more evenly-matched. The Avalanche have been excellent defensively this season, and it also showed in the season series. Of course, while the Avalanche were able to sweep the season series, that may not translate to the same result in the playoffs.

Team Outlook and Keys to Victory for the Kings

This will be an uphill battle for the Kings, as they know they are the underdog coming into the matchup. One thing the Kings have done throughout the last few years is be a stingy team. They are not as stifling as past seasons, where they employed the 1-3-1 system under former head coach Jim Hiller, but they are still very capable defensively. They have since switched to a 1-2-2 system that was able to increase the pace of the game a bit. Their defence will definitely be tested against the top-ranked offensive team in the NHL. They will need to be stingier than ever here.

Goaltending has been decent for the Kings this season, but Anton Forsberg, the backup coming into the season, looks to have stolen the starter’s job from Darcy Kuemper. While Kuemper has more playoff experience, including winning a championship with the opposing Avalanche, his stats this season have been middling. Forsberg, on the other hand, has put up some of the best numbers of his career, with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage through 36 games. He was a big reason why the Kings even ended up in the postseason.

The Kings made a strong addition in February, when they acquired Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers. He is the only player who has scored at a point-per-game pace this season for the team. For a team that struggles to generate goals, he may give them the push needed to get some offence. They also should be plenty motivated, given that captain Anze Kopitar will be retiring at the end of their playoff run. Some injuries may be hampering them, but no doubt, they will give everything they have in this series.

Team Outlook and the Avalanche’s Keys to Victory

Colorado has been a powerhouse, sitting on top of the NHL for virtually the entire regular season. They did cool off after their historic 19-1-6 start, but they still boast some of the best numbers in the league. Led by likely Hart Trophy finalist Nathan MacKinnon, their offensive firepower is undisputedly one of the best in the league. Defensively, they have also been playing at an elite level, giving up the least number of goals in the league. Their one weakness seems to be executing on the power play, which sits at just 17.1% on the season. They will score the series victory if they stick to what they’ve been doing all season long, overwhelming their opponents with waves of attacks.

Goaltending has been excellent for the Avalanche this season, but maybe not from who you would expect. Scott Wedgewood has had a Vezina-calibre season, with a 31-6-6 record, a 2.02 goals-against average, and a .921 save percentage in 45 games. Combined with Mackenzie Blackwood, their tandem might just be the best in the league as well. What can’t this team do?

Several players from the 2022 championship team are still on the team, including captain Gabriel Landeskog and recently acquired Nazem Kadri. The team is experienced, battle-tested and ready to go far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again.

Series Prediction and Best Bets

Most sportsbooks will heavily favour the Avalanche to win this series and dominate. We do not believe an upset will be in the cards here, but the Kings could prove competitive. There could be a lot of overtime in this series, and hey, maybe the Kings will actually win an overtime game, unlike what their regular-season results indicate. In the end, Colorado should be able to win this series in a somewhat decisive manner. They’re too good not to do so, right?

Prediction: Avalanche win the series in 5 games.

Main Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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