The Colorado Avalanche have eliminated the Los Angeles Kings from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in convincing fashion, and this is our series review. Four straight games of dominating puck possession and relentless pressure led them to a sweep in this first-round series. The season has now ended for the Kings, and captain Anze Kopitar‘s career has come to a close as well. L.A. had a strong start in Game 4, but the Avalanche woke up after the first few minutes. The Kings battled hard in the series with their defensive game and physical play, but could not find the back of the net enough.
Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings 2026 Playoff Series Review
L.A.’s only chance of victory was to play a stifling defensive style of hockey and keep the scoring low. They accomplished that for the most part, but the Avs still broke through at opportune times. Colorado showed that they could play the Kings’ game, yet still emerge victorious, not stooping down to their level. As the Kings were trailing or tied for most of this series, they needed some more scoring.
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Avalanche Able To Adapt to a Defensive Style of Play
Despite being swept, the Kings kept all the games close. They did not trail by more than two goals at any point in the series. There were some missed opportunities that the Kings might rue, but overall, they cannot be too mad at their effort. They simply were outclassed by an Avalanche team with much more firepower both offensively and defensively.
Colorado Star and Power Play Finally Broke Through In Game 4
Game 4 featured the first power play goal of the series for the Avalanche. It also featured the first goal of the postseason for Rocket Richard Trophy winner and Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon. Luckily, the depth of the Avalanche roster picked up the slack and propelled them to victory, even when the top players were not producing at the same rate they were in the regular season. With this, MacKinnon should gain some confidence, and so should the power play, which has been weak in the regular season and in this playoff series as well. Obviously, their special teams will have to improve going into a much tougher second-round series.
Stellar Goaltending On Both Sides
Scott Wedgewood is showing why he could be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy with his excellent play. He allowed just five goals in four games and has the second-best save percentage in the playoffs so far. Anton Forsberg also had a good series, giving the Kings every opportunity to steal a game. His series was similar to Linus Ullmark of the Ottawa Senators, especially in the first two games, as they played very well, but the teams in front of them could not give them the goal support they needed.
Kings Captain Retires After 20 Seasons
It was an emotional farewell for the Kings’ faithful to the Kings’ captain, Anze Kopitar. He spent his entire NHL career with the Kings, playing in 1,521 regular-season games and 107 playoff games. He also won two Stanley Cups with the team in 2012 and 2014. Kopitar was named the captain on June 16, 2016, after Dustin Brown retired. A two-time winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy and a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy, as well as being a leader on and off the ice, he undoubtedly will be one of the greats in franchise history and a future member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Anze Kopitar leaves the ice for the final time in his NHL career 🩶 pic.twitter.com/6IGEe5VJg6
— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2026
Looking Ahead for the Avalanche
This series felt more like a warm-up for the Avalanche. Bigger challenges lie ahead, as they will face the winner between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild. That series could very well go the distance, so the Avalanche could get over a week of rest. However, that could also backfire on them, as the discussion of rest versus rust could be a factor.
Main Photo Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
