Opening night at Ball Arena had a little of everything, and the Colorado Avalanche made sure the LA Kings walked out of it with a mess to sort through. Colorado rolled to an 8-4 win in the first game of the 2026-27 season, a game that featured power-play chaos, two shorthanded goals against, and even a Nathan MacKinnon fight.
The Avalanche struck first on the man advantage, though it was the second unit that cashed in. Brock Nelson redirected a rebound off Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper’s mask and into the net.
Los Angeles answered with a power play of its own but didn’t score on it, even if the sequence seemed to give the Kings some life. Mackenzie Blackwood had to make a couple of big stops before Brian Dumoulin finally got one through traffic to tie it.
The Kings’ next power play also came up empty, and Parker Kelly punished them moments after the penalty expired with a breakaway goal that put Colorado ahead 2-1 after the first period.
The second period turned into a track meet. A five-on-three for Colorado carried over into the frame, and Nathan MacKinnon buried it just 23 seconds in.
That lead barely lasted a minute before Joel Armia scored shorthanded for Los Angeles from distance. The Kings stayed within reach at 3-2 for only a moment, because MacKinnon struck again and Nic Roy followed to push Colorado to 5-2.
On Roy’s goal, Jaden Schwartz was parked in the crease and made contact with Kuemper, but Los Angeles never challenged the play.
The Kings got another shorthanded goal before the period was over, this time from Trevor Moore on a clean shot past Blackwood. Colorado answered right back when the second power-play unit returned to finish the man advantage, and Artturi Lehkonen scored from the slot. That sent the Avalanche into the second intermission up 6-3.
The third period brought more of the same kind of wild, loose hockey. Halfway through the frame, Josh Manson had a rough shift that started with a turnover and extended Los Angeles’ time in the offensive zone before he took a penalty. On the delayed call, Artemi Panarin scored from distance through traffic to make it 6-4.
There was still more drama left. Nathan MacKinnon dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke, serving as the instigator and landing a few rights in the fight.
With about 10 minutes left after that, Gabe Landeskog scored his first goal of the season on a rebound after Cale Makar drove to the net. Lehkonen then added one more power-play goal with the second unit to close out the scoring and finish off the 8-4 final.
The game had the kind of sloppiness that fit a season opener, with both good and bad goaltending, plenty of special-teams swings, and goals coming in bunches. Colorado finished with four power-play goals and allowed two shorthanded ones, while the first unit only converted on the five-on-three. The second group did most of the damage, which makes for a nice problem on night one - and a question worth watching as the month goes on.
In Other News...
Nathan MacKinnon Gave Avalanche Fans A Wild Opening Night Debate
Opening night had plenty of offense for Colorado, but Nathan MacKinnon still found a way to create a different kind of buzz. The Avalanche star dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke during the 2026-27 NHL regular-season opener, then later said he was the one who challenged Clarke after an exchange earlier in the game.
The fight did not slow MacKinnon down much from an on-ice standpoint, either. He finished with two goals in Colorados 8-4 win, turning a tense moment into just another part of a night that gave Avalanche fans plenty to talk about beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Brock Nelson Just Put Early Pressure On A Key Avalanche Question
Brock Nelson wasted little time giving the Avalanche something to build on in the opening game of the 2026-27 season, scoring Colorados first goal against the Kings on the power play. It fit the pattern the Avalanche have developed over the past five years, with a different player finding the net first in each season, and it also served as an early reminder of why Nelson was such an important addition after putting up 33 goals in 81 games last season.
For Colorado, the goal did more than open the scoring. It also nudged an underlying question back into view: who will emerge as the most reliable early-season finisher and help settle the clubs offensive hierarchy as the games start to matter? Nelson answered on night one, and the Avalanche will spend the next stretch finding out whether that first strike is the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Nathan MacKinnon Sent An Early Message Avalanche Fans Loved
Opening night had the usual buzz around the Avalanche, but Nathan MacKinnon added a jolt of edge right away against the Kings. After a hit on Cale Makar, MacKinnon went after Brandt Clarke and dropped the gloves, a rare scene for a player known far more for his offense than for spending time in the penalty box.
It was MacKinnons ninth career fight and his first since 2022, a reminder that even Colorados most dynamic star can still set a tone the old-fashioned way. The Avalanche rolled to an 8-4 win, and the sequence stood out as much for what it said about the teams response as for the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]