Original article found on Hockey Mountain High

The Colorado Avalanche completed the sweep of the Los Angeles Kings, putting LA in checkmate with a 5–1 victory on Sunday afternoon. Colorado took care of business with the offense coming to life, scoring the most goals in a single game so far this postseason.

The Avalanche’s game was simply too much for the Kings to overcome in this week-long series. Therefore, it marked the end of a legendary career for their captain, Anže Kopitar.

View From the Mountaintop

Colorado’s offense finally came alive in the ways that people are used to. It included a goal on the power play, which had struggled leading into this game. Nathan MacKinnon got the goal on the man advantage, his first of the entire series. Devon Toews also got his first goal of the series to provide some insurance, alongside a goal from Nicolas Roy and a beauty from Cale Makar. They scored over two goals and were able to separate themselves enough from LA to get the job done in four games with the sweep.

They also had plenty of help on the defensive end, once again from Scott Wedgewood in the crease. He ended with 24 saves, including some key ones in the second period when Los Angeles was pushing after Joel Edmundson scored. In front of him, there was a fresh look with Josh Manson unavailable because of an upper-body injury. Nick Blankenburg would slot in for his first-ever playoff game, and it looked like it at points. He was roughed up and took a penalty while only playing 12:35. Hopefully, it was just nerves and him needing to get back into game action, but a heavy reliance on him down the stretch would be tough for the Avs.

The sweep over LA is the first four-game sweep for Colorado since the Western Conference Final in 2022 over the Edmonton Oilers. In that same run, they swept the first-round matchup against the Nashville Predators. There’s already been tons of similarities between that team and this roster en route to a Stanley Cup. They will have some time to rest before heading into the second round. It will be that much more difficult for Colorado — particularly if they don’t find an extra gear or two.

Up Next

Speaking of the next round, the Avalanche will be awaiting their opponent. It will be either the Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild, with a start date and time to be determined. Game Five of that series is on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. MT, and Game Six is on Thursday with a time TBD. If needed, Game Seven would be in Dallas on Saturday with a time TBD.