Avalanche take down the Kings, earn commanding 3-0 series lead

The Colorado Avalanche scored four goals on Thursday night in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings.

That’s as many as they scored in the first two games of the series combined.

The good news is they’ve all come in winning efforts.

Colorado topped Los Angeles 4-2 to earn a commanding 3-0 series lead. They won Games 1 and 2 both by final scores of 2-1.

Entering the third period the Avalanche were clinging to a 2-1 lead again. Artturi Lehkonen scored a shorthanded goal to put them up 3-1. He had a 2-on-1 with Logan O’Connor and tried to pass the puck. But if went off the skate of Kings winger Adrian Kempe and the Avs took a comfortable lead.

L.A. would make it 3-2 with 4:03 to go as Kempe got his revenge and cut the deficit to one. It was on the power play and with the goalie pulled, another 6-on-4 goal just like the Kings had in Game 1.

But with Los Angeles desperate to tie it Brock Nelson found a an empty-net and put things out of reach. Fans streamed out of Crypto.com arena as they knew the final result was inevitable.

Brock Nelson steals it from Kopitar and puts the Avs back up 2 with 2 minutes to go 🚨 pic.twitter.com/SgajuBDjBS

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 24, 2026

In the second period the Kings scored their first goal of the series at even strength. Trevor Moore was credited with tally after getting a body on the puck off a cross from Quinton Byfield. That tied things 1-1.

But it only took seven minutes for Colorado to have a response. Superstar defenseman Cale Makar ripped a puck with eyes, a beautiful shot that beat L.A. goalie Anton Forsberg from deep.

It was good to see Makar get a playoff goal after his struggles last year against Dallas and without one in the first two games against the Kings.

🥬🥬🥬

Cale Makar gives the @Avalanche the lead! #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports pic.twitter.com/Jz4LTdc6vI

— NHL (@NHL) April 24, 2026

The Avalanche also struck in the first period, a little more than five minutes into the game. They say good things happen when you fire the puck on the net and that was exactly the case for captain Gabriel Landeskog.

He shot the puck just wide, it hit the back boards and then bounced off the skate of Forsberg and into the back of the net. Nazem Kadri did a good job of bothering Forsberg with his stick late in the play as well.

For Landeskog, it was a goal on the one-year anniversary of his return from multiple knee surgeries.

Early lead on the road, courtesy of Gabe 🫡 pic.twitter.com/QeP14n1YHy

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 24, 2026

The shots in the first frame were 12-7 Los Angeles, but Scott Wedgewood looked sharp and the Avalanche also killed off a cross-checking penalty against Josh Manson. The Kings only had two goals in the first two games, both on the power play, and Wedgewood held them off the board the first 20 minutes.

Overall, Colorado’s No. 1 goalie finished with 24 saves.

Now, the Avalanche will look for the sweep on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. That’d get them almost assuredly at least a week off before facing the winner of the Minnesota and Dallas series. The Stars are currently up 2-1 after prevailing in 2OT on Wednesday.

The job against the Kings isn’t done, but it’s close. Despite solid efforts from Los Angeles thus far, Colorado is one step away from sending them to summer vacation.

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