LOS ANGELES — Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the Avalanche so easily absorbed the Kings’ desperate, game-opening push with L.A.’s season on the line in Game 4.
The Colorado Avalanche were inevitable for four straight games, sucking the life out of the Los Angeles Kings whenever the outmatched underdogs pushed for control in a game. Nathan MacKinnon’s first goal of the series gave Colorado control in the first period of Game 4. By the time Cale Makar picked up the puck on the offensive line, exploiting Taylor Ward in a mismatched one-on-one before sniping short side past Anton Forsberg, the impending sweep was clear.
Colorado can win in too many ways, with too many depth players capable of playing on ordinary teams’ No. 1 lines. The battle level might have been close, as were the scores in the individual games. But there was never anything but a sense of control about the Avalanche as they turned a hard-working Los Angeles team into a first-round formality, beating the Kings 5-1 in Game 4.
When the Kings’ first-period push led to two power plays, the Avalanche put on a penalty-killing clinic. There was Artturi Lehkonen putting star scorer Artemi Panarin in his pocket. There was Jack Drury diving to turn Anze Kopitar’s faceoff win into a clearance for the aggressive Avalanche penalty kill.
And then there was MacKinnon himself, striking 16 seconds into Colorado’s first power play — an inevitable interference penalty caused by Lehkonen being too much for Brian Dumoulin to handle in front of the Kings’ net. Trade deadline acquisition Nazem Kadri — the “third line” center who played the No. 1 role for Calgary most of the season — was the player who found the seam for MacKinnon. Makar’s second-period brilliance held as the game-winning goal, while Nicolas Roy and Devon Toews added to the onslaught in the third period.
Colorado’s depth of star power was too much for Los Angeles, just as it has been for NHL teams since the puck dropped on the 2025-26 season. The Avalanche trailed for just three minutes and 21 seconds this series — the time between Panarin’s Game 2 goal and captain Gabriel Landeskog’s equalizer in the third period.
The end of Game 4 took an emotional turn, with “Kopi! Kopi!” and “Thank you, Kopi!” chants breaking out in honor of Kopitar’s final game in the NHL. Kopitar, who’d announced that this would be his final season at the start of training camp, was visibly emotional in the game’s dying seconds, throughout the post-series handshake line, and again during a final salute to Kings fans.
“It’s been a hell of a ride,” Kopitar said in an emotional postgame press conference.
MacKinnon (and Avalanche power play) breaks through
Nathan MacKinnon entered Game 4 without a goal this series. Colorado’s power play entered without a goal, too.
By the end of the first period Sunday, neither of those statements were true. Early in Colorado’s first power play of the game, MacKinnon drifted across the slot, where Kadri found him with a pass. MacKinnon one-timed it past Anton Forsberg. The Rocket Richard Trophy winner pumped his fist.
The breakthrough was inevitable. Kings head coach D.J. Smith was asked before the game how it could be that MacKinnon could have zero goals yet Los Angeles had no wins. As the reporter landed on MacKinnon’s stat line, Smith took a moment to knock on the wooden table in front of him for luck. It wasn’t enough, MacKinnon got on the board, and the Avalanche never looked back. His empty netter made it 5-1 Avalanche with 5:38 to go in the third period, assuring Colorado the sweep.
The end of the road for Kopitar
Anze Kopitar’s career has ended at Crypto.com Arena, in front of the only home crowd he’s ever known in his 20-season NHL career. He was visibly emotional during a final salute to the 18,145 fans in attendance, who gave him a standing ovation after the postseries handshake line.
“It hit me (with) about five or six minutes to go that this could be it. For the last 20 years, I’ve never experienced that emotion. … Now it’s done. It’s hard to comprehend,” Kopitar said.
The Kings’ captain was moved by the response he got from Kings fans.
“It was hard to keep it together, really. Being here for 20 years — more than half of my lifetime — it’s extremely special. This has been home for us for 20 years and I really appreciate the fans,” Kopitar said.
Kopitar finishes his career with 452 goals, 864 assists and 1,316 points in 1,521 regular season games – the 38th-highest point total in NHL history. His playoff numbers – 27 goals, 62 assists, and 89 points in 107 playoff games – are 143rd-best in NHL history. The 38-year-old Slovenian center’s resume includes two Stanley Cups, two Selke Trophies as the league’s top defensive forward, three Lady Byng Memorial Trophies as the league’s most gentlemanly player, and one Mark Messier Leadership Award.
Kopitar’s zero points in four games was part of the reason Los Angeles was swept; like so many Kings, he was unable to turn the tide against Colorado’s sheer volume of star power. His backhand drive early in the third period nearly gave the Kings some life and he had Martin Nečas tied up on Devon Toews’ 4-1 goal. It wasn’t enough to save the series, but Kopitar’s efforts were noble in defeat.
Kopitar’s strongest postgame emotions were reserved for his two children, Neža and Jakob. He thanked his wife, Ines, profusely, saying that their kids were kind and respectful above all else. He said he’s studied his daughter’s instructions for ponytails.
He said he’s excited to become a full-time dad: “Now they get to wake up in the morning and come barging in the room and see me there. That’s what they deserve.”
Kopitar will finish his career as the Kings’ all-time leading scorer, passing Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne on March 13 with his 1,308th point. It is likely that Los Angeles retires his No. 11, with Kopitar’s status as one of the all-time-great Kings players assured.
How does Kopitar want to be remembered?
“As a good teammate. … And, I guess, as a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That works.”
Are the Avalanche the Stanley Cup favorites?
Colorado has three first-line centers in MacKinnon, Kadri, and Nelson, the best defenseman in the world, and a supporting cast that is so deep in star power that Necas, Gabe Landeskog, and Lehkonen get discussed as complementary players. Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood and MacKenzie Blackwood give them an elite goaltending tandem.
Now look what they’ve done to Los Angeles. Aren’t the Avalanche overwhelming Western Conference favorites?
For his part, Jared Bednar says he’s proud of the Avalanche for being able to play — and win — any style of playoff game.
“When you get into a stingy series like against the Kings, you’re comfortable winning a 1-0 game. If it’s a little bit more run and gun, you can do that too. If it’s physical, you’re able to do that. Well rounded players that can play a 200 foot game give you the best chance to win — and I think we have a team full of them,” Bednar said this week.
Smith heaped praise upon the Avalanche for their underrated quality as a defensive team.
“It’s not offense. They have offense – they have lots. It’s how well they check. It’s how well they defend. … They didn’t give us a breakaway in the series other than a shorthanded one. They never gave us a two-on-one other than a partial two-on-one. That’s incredible to do in four games,” Smith said.
Smith felt the Kings executed most of their game plan, keeping the series close, but that Colorado’s championship-caliber team buy-in was too good for Los Angeles to beat.
“It’s because they’ve won (the Cup),” he said. “It’s because they’re interested in winning again.”
Was Smith coaching for his job?
Smith was named interim head coach on March 1, with Jim Hiller fired as part of the shuffle. It worked, getting Los Angeles into the playoffs, but Smith asked for swagger and got a four-game sweep.
L.A.’s interim head coach was asked before the game if he had a little bit extra at stake in getting the Kings to a Game 5 in Colorado.
“Do I want this one more than most? Probably. But that can’t affect what I do as a coach,” he said, but not before taking a moment to advocate for the quality of his work. He cited the Kings’ playoff spot, his belief that they’d played well enough to beat Colorado at least once, and even spoke to his development of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson during his tenure in Ottawa. Smith’s future in Los Angeles is still up in the air as of Sunday’s Game 4 loss.
“I know I can coach in this league,” he said.
As of the end of Game 4, Smith and Kings general manager Ken Holland have yet to meet to discuss Smith’s future. Those conversations are expected to take place in the coming days.
Lehkonen’s strong series
Lehkonen was a monster all series for Colorado. He’s contributed offense — the first goal of Game 1 and a two-point night in Game 3 — but showed there’s plenty more to his game than that. In the first period, he pressured Panarin on a Colorado penalty kill, harassing the Kings star until the puck left the zone. Later in the period, he drew an interference penalty on Dumoulin with his net-front presence.
Lehkonen’s offensive output continued, too. He received a pass from Sam Malinski and put a shot on net, leading to a rebound that Roy buried, and he was part of the PK that made difficult defensive stops to keep Colorado in it early in the game.
Bednar said plays like the ones Lehkonen and Drury made on the Avalanche penalty kill are part of the culture that Colorado has built.
“They don’t go unnoticed,” he said. “There’s probably 20-30 plays through the night, like not just the nice play that gets you the goal. … It’s contagious through our locker room, through our bench, whether it’s while the game is still going on or it’s after the fact or the next day.”
Much tougher task awaits Colorado
The Avalanche will play the winner of Dallas and Minnesota. That series is tied 2-2. Either potential opponent will pose a much tougher test than a Kings team that finished with 15 fewer wins than the Stars and 11 fewer than the Wild.
Dallas in particular has given Colorado trouble in recent postseasons. The Stars beat an injury-plagued Colorado team in a seven-game 2021 second-round series. Joel Kiviranta — now on the Avalanche — scored a hat trick in Game 7 that included the overtime winner. In 2024, Dallas again eliminated the Avalanche in overtime. Ex-Colorado forward Matt Duchene won Game 6 for the Stars in double overtime. Mikko Rantanen, who bounced from Colorado to Carolina to Dallas within the 2024-25 season, scored a third-period hat trick to beat the Avalanche in Game 7 of the 2025 first round: perhaps the most painful loss to the Stars thus far.
Minnesota, boosted by the midseason acquisition of Quinn Hughes, is formidable, too. The Wild won Game 4 on an overtime goal from Matt Boldy. Colorado surely wants that series to go as long as possible to fully maximize their rest advantage.
“We know the challenge at hand with either team is going to be extremely difficult,” MacKinnon said. “It’s only going to get harder and harder but I think we’re up for it.”