Avalanche give nod to Scott Wedgewood, earns 2-1 playoff opening win

Colorado Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood got the nod in the team’s playoff opener on Sunday afternoon.

And it looks like head coach Jared Bednar is already pushing the right buttons for what’s hopefully a deep postseason run.

Wedgewood made 24 saves and helped beat the Los Angeles Kings, a 2-1 Avalanche victory to put them up one game to zero in the Round 1 series. It was the first playoff start of Wedgewood’s career after he had a brilliant regular season, even better than No. 2 goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.

And this one was tight for a long time, scoreless more than 35 minutes into the contest.

But Artturi Lehkonen finally broke the ice deep into the second period. He worked hard for a Nathan MacKinnon rebound, cleaning up the mess and putting Colorado on top 1-0.

ARTTURI LEHKONEN OPENS THE SCORING FOR THE AVALANCHE IN GAME 1 OF THE #STANLEYCUP PLAYOFFS! 🎉

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports 2 pic.twitter.com/JAJP8aspJo

— NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2026

The middle period didn’t come without controversy.

It looked like the Avalanche had taken the lead much earlier, but a Logan O’Connor goal was immediately waived off by the referees. It appeared Colorado center Jack Drury was pushed into Kings goalie Anton Forsberg by L.A. defenseman Drew Doughty. However, the officials disagreed. 

Bednar immediately challenged to no avail and the Denver crowd lost its mind. The Kings were awarded a power play for the failed challenge, but Colorado had no problem killing it off. Wedgewood had 17 saves through two, with a handful being high danger, although none on that particular chance.

Revenge was sweet for O’Connor in the third, scoring a goal on a mini-breakaway and this time it counted. It was the first goal for O’Connor this year after he didn’t make his season debut until late March, battling through complications from hip surgery.

LOGAN O'CONNOR… MORE LIKE LOGAN GOAL CONNOR! #STANLEYCUP

📺: @NHL_On_TNT, @Sportsnet, & @TVASports 2 pic.twitter.com/qnrIkb2NBY

— NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2026

O’Connor gave Colorado a 2-0 lead, but the Kings would slice it to 2-1 on an Artemi Panarin power play goal with 2:22 to go. However, L.A. committed a penalty moments later and had no great chances to tie things up in the final moments. Even with Forsberg pulled, the Avs held on for the one-goal victory.

Shots were 9-5 Avalanche in the first period but without many premium chances. Wedgewood made a huge save late, keeping things 0-0 after a sleepy first 20 minutes. The game had a 1:10 p.m. local start, with some seats not filling at Ball Arena for nearly the entire opening frame.

A win is a win for Colorado even if it wasn’t the prettiest and they have a series lead. The Avalanche came in as heavy favorites, but L.A. appeared up for the challenge most of the afternoon. Even if their objective was to muck the ice up, that’s what they did for long stretches.

Game 2 will be on Tuesday night with a puck drop slated for after 8:00 p.m. MT. The building should be rocking from the jump and the Avalanche will look to take a commanding 2-0 series edge before things shift back to Los Angeles on Thursday evening.

Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is happy with the win and adds “we’re not going to score 10 goals every game.”

Was also glad to see Logan O’Connor get a goal after the first one was waived off, but cautioned you’re not “owed” anything in playoffs. pic.twitter.com/IwPekGDKxz

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) April 19, 2026

Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood admits there was a little anxiety making his first playoff start, but that he settled in after the first TV timeout and talking with Mackenzie Blackwood. pic.twitter.com/OBOnLsvIHh

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) April 19, 2026

Jared Bednar on if Scott Wedgewood starts for the Avalanche in Game 2.

“I’m not going to answer that.”

Went on to dish out loads of compliments to Wedgewood, including that “pretty much every way he’s exceeded expectations and I’m happy for him.” pic.twitter.com/DRo3BolVvH

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) April 19, 2026

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