Nathan MacKinnon leads Avalanche past Kings in 8-4 opener
Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, fought for the first time in four years, and helped the Colorado Avalanche open the 2026-27 season with an 8-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night at Ball Arena. Colorado's power play struck four times, while Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves in the wild opener.
Key Takeaways
- Nathan MacKinnon scored two second-period goals and later dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke.
- Colorado scored four power-play goals; Artturi Lehkonen had two tallies and Brock Nelson added a goal and two assists.
- Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves as the Avalanche opened 1-0-0 at Ball Arena before 18,092 fans.
- The season opener aired on TNT/truTV, and coach Jared Bednar received a four-year contract extension hours before the game.
How did Nathan MacKinnon take over the opener?
MacKinnon, coming off a career-high 53 goals and the Rocket Richard Trophy last season, wasted little time. He scored on a 5-on-3 just 23 seconds into the second period to make it 3-1, then added another at 8:33 after a behind-the-back feed from Martin Necas for a 4-2 lead.
With Colorado ahead 6-4 late in the third, the 2024 MVP fought Clarke — his first scrap in four years, according to the Associated Press — and decisively won the bout before tossing his helmet on the way to the box, The Denver Post reported.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog scored less than a minute later, and Lehkonen iced the win with his second goal 1:03 after that.
Where can fans stream or watch Avalanche games?
Wednesday's opener was carried nationally on TNT/truTV from Denver. For more game-day windows, channel guides, and alert roundups, check BlasterPost's Streaming & TV Alerts hub.
Colorado hosts St. Louis on Saturday night, while the Kings visit San Jose the same evening.
What else stood out in Colorado's season debut?
Brock Nelson opened the scoring at 6:33 of the first on the second power-play unit after a Jaden Schwartz feed. Brian Dumoulin tied it for Los Angeles at 15:14, but Parker Kelly restored the lead when a 2-on-1 with Fedor Svechkov produced a blast past Darcy Kuemper just after a Devon Toews penalty expired.
Joel Armia and Trevor Moore each scored shorthanded in the second for the Kings, who allowed three goals from Colorado's second power-play unit — including both of Lehkonen's. Nicolas Roy also scored in a goal-mouth scramble as the Avalanche built a 5-2 cushion.
Blackwood finished with 26 saves; Kuemper stopped 21. Hours earlier, president and GM Joe Sakic announced Bednar's four-year extension, ending speculation after last spring's Western Conference final sweep by Vegas. Forwards Logan O'Connor and Zachary L'Heureux missed the game with lower-body injuries as Colorado dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen.