Kings keep it close but fall to the potent

DENVER — Different opponent. Same consequence.

In each of the earlier 4 seasons, the Kings opened the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. They misplaced each time.

So on Sunday the Kings tried a different route, opening against the Colorado Avalanche.

They misplaced, 2-1.

The Colorado targets got here from Artturi Lehkonen late in the second period and Logan O’Connor early in the third. The Kings made a recreation of it late, pulling goaltender Anton Fosberg with 2:57 to play and getting a power-play purpose from Artemi Panarin 35 seconds later.

But if the Kings misplaced the recreation, they also gained a ton of confidence with the approach they performed against the winningest workforce in the NHL this season.

“The guys did what they had to do and played the right way,” interim coach D.J. Smith said “It is what it is. We’re down in the series, but a lot of good things.”

“We played a good game overall,” ahead Scott Laughton added. “You don’t get the results, so it’s disappointing. But a lot of things to build on.”

The Kings got here in realizing good wasn’t going to be good enough against the workforce that received the Presidents’ Trophy, the prize that goes to the workforce with the best regular-season report. And the Avalanche earned that honor, scoring the most targets and giving up the fewest in the NHL. They also had the best home report in the Western Conference and the best highway report in the league.

But with Forsberg making a quantity of spectacular saves, the Kings performed Colorado even until Lehkonen, defended tightly by defenseman Drew Doughty, was in a position to attain out his stick and sweep in the rebound of Nathan MacKinnon’s shot from the proper boards to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead with 4:31 left in the second period.

A major gaffe allowed Colorado to double its benefit 5:50 into the third period, with Joel Edmundson failing to deal with a unfastened puck in the Kings’ zone, enabling O’Connor to accumulate it and race defenseman Cody Ceci to the entrance of the internet before beating Forsberg cleanly.

“It just comes down to a couple of bounces, a couple of plays,” defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “Then they find a way to capitalize.”

The recreation, which had been bodily all afternoon, turned chippy after that, and when Colorado’s Brock Nelson took an pointless high-sticking penalty at 17:03 of the remaining period, it gave the Kings their fourth energy play. This time they took benefit, with Panarin halving the deficit with a wrist shot from just inside the blue line.

Although the Kings ranked in the backside 5 in both the energy play and penalty kill, they received the particular groups battle in Game 1, scoring the only power-play purpose and killing all 4 man-advantage conditions for the Avalanche.

And while Laughton believes the late purpose and the special-teams play give the Kings momentum heading into the second recreation of the best-of-seven sequence Tuesday, Anderson said the workforce doesn’t need to rely on ethical victories with the approach it has been taking part in.

“We’re confident,” he said. “We’ve been feeling good about our game. We’ve been playing pretty good hockey. Everyone knows how good they are, but I think we have a good team in here.

“The feeling around the [locker] room the last couple weeks, it’s been very high.”

The sequence still has a long approach to go. And while the Kings’ playoff historical past with Edmonton never was encouraging, this time they really might have historical past on their aspect.

Although the Kings haven’t received a postseason sequence since 2014, when they hoisted the Stanley Cup, the Avalanche are dealing with the Presidents’ Trophy curse. Only eight groups have received both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season; an equal quantity have gone out in the first spherical.

Colorado may need had the best report in the NHL, but Smith said the fact the Kings finally are taking part in anybody but Edmonton is a enhance.

“If you’ve lost a couple years in a row, three years in a row, it’s in your mind that you have to outperform rather than just do what you do,” he said. “And I think this is brand new.

“Everyone knows that’s the Presidents’ Trophy winner. There’s a huge job ahead of us. But it’s a fresh start.”