The Colorado Avalanche had the chance to sweep the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Los Angeles kept things close with Colorado in the early stages of this series. However, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are where the stars shine the brightest. And Nathan MacKinnon may have been the brightest star on the ice in Game 4.
The Avalanche superstar scored two goals for Colorado on Sunday. His goals were a major driving force in his team’s 5-1 win over the Kings. As a result, Colorado is moving on to the second round. Los Angeles, meanwhile, has been swept out of the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Kings are no strangers to first-round exits. In fact, this is the fifth straight season in which Los Angeles failed to make it out of the first round. Each of the last four defeats came at the hands of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
As mentioned, the Kings kept things close with the Avalanche early in this series. In fact, both of the first two games ended with scores of 2-1. However, Colorado began pulling away with a 4-2 win in Game 3. In Game 4, they shut down any hope Los Angeles had of staging a comeback.
One thing Los Angeles did successfully prior to Game 4 was keeping MacKinnon quiet. The favorite for the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP had just one assist prior to Sunday. However, the Avalanche superstar broke through, and the rest is history.
Colorado is in the midst of their ninth straight playoff run. Last year, they were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the first round. This year, they move on, and will face either the Stars or Minnesota Wild next in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Colorado Avalanche had the chance to sweep the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Los Angeles kept things close with Colorado in the early stages of this series. However, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are where the stars shine the brightest. And Nathan MacKinnon may have been the brightest star on the ice in Game 4.