3 Takeaways from the Avalanche’s 2-1 Game 1 Win Over the Kings – The Hockey Writers – Colorado Avalanche

Coming into the opening round of the playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche are the clear favorites to win it all. Their opponents, the Los Angeles Kings, are heavy underdogs to win a game in this series much less advance.

Things were a bit tighter than expected in Game 1, though the Avalanche’s fourth line wound up being a difference-maker. The Kings showed life at the end but ultimately couldn’t get it done as the Avalanche took Game 1 2-1.

Both Goalies Were Outstanding

Maybe the biggest question for the Avalanche coming into the playoffs was whether Scott Wedgewood could be the same dominant goaltender he has been all season. It turns out the answer is an emphatic “yes.”

Wedgewood and Los Angeles’ Anton Forsberg were both excellent, tuning aside 52 of the collective 55 shots on net. Wedgewood was nearly perfect, the only blemish a late power play goal by the Kings with heavy traffic in front.

The Kings weren’t exactly the most dynamic offense in the regular season, but it is highly encouraging to see Wedgewood shut them down so emphatically. The Avalanche were very good defensively but Wedgewood was there to slam the door shut when called upon.

The Power Play Can’t Continue to Be This Bad

Without a doubt, the biggest negative to come out of this game is the 0-for-4 performance of the power play. Things appeared to have resolved themselves down the stretch, with the Avalanche comfortably being a top 10 unit over the final month of the regular season.

Part of it the lack of a power play goal had to do with the excellent performance of Forsberg but that can’t be an excuse. Aside from a win, this had to feel like the optimal game for the Kings coming into the series.

The Avalanche can get away with it right now. As the competition gets tougher, the power play could wind up being what costs them a game or even a series. It would be nice to see them get one early in Game 2.

Tone LOC Takes Over

For all the firepower the Avalanche possess, their bottom-six may wind up being the true difference-maker. In Game 1, that turned out to be the case. The biggest standout was Logan O’Connor, who only recently returned from offseason hip surgery.

He had a goal overturned in the second period due to goaltender interference but was not deterred. He roofed one over Forsberg’s left shoulder with just under six minutes gone in the third period to deliver the dagger for the Avalanche.

The fourth line was fantastic throughout, making life difficult for Kings defenders. That kind of relentless pressure wound up being the biggest difference, especially with open space coming at such a premium.

A Win is a Win

At this stage, it doesn’t matter how you do it, only that you win. The best teams find a way and the Avalanche got the job done with just a pair of goals – none of which came from their star players.

A little more in the way of physicality would be nice as well, but getting nit-picky is something that we all do in tight wins. For now, it’s on to Game 2 and ideally taking a 2-0 series lead to Los Angeles.