The Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche open their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series Sunday, with Colorado entering as the NHL’s top team and clear Cup favorite.
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Game 1 is set for Sunday, April 19, at 3:00 p.m. ET in Denver, with national coverage on TNT as the Avalanche host at Ball Arena.
Colorado earned the Presidents’ Trophy with a league-best 121 points, while Los Angeles secured the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference to clinch this matchup. The Kings locked in their playoff berth late in the season, setting up their first postseason meeting with Colorado since 2002.
This series opens with a major gap in regular-season performance. Colorado dominated the league behind Nathan MacKinnon’s 53-goal, 127-point season, finishing as one of the highest-scoring and most complete teams in hockey. The Kings, meanwhile, enter as underdogs after battling through the wild-card race, but bring experience and a veteran core led by Anže Kopitar. Oddsmakers have installed the Avalanche as Stanley Cup favorites entering the postseason, underscoring the challenge Los Angeles faces in this matchup.
Game 1 sets the tone for a classic top-seed vs. wild-card clash. Colorado’s depth, speed, and home-ice advantage make them heavy favorites, but the Kings’ physical style and playoff experience could test the Avalanche early if they can slow the pace and capitalize on limited opportunities.
This is a great NHL matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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