Avalanche complete sweep of Kings, move to Round 2 with plenty of rest

The Colorado Avalanche are moving on to Round 2 of the NHL playoffs.

And they’ll have plenty of time off before their next game.

The Avs completed the sweep of the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday afternoon, earning a 5-1 win and taking the first-round series four games to zero.

With the outcome still in question entering the third period, Colorado put its foot on the gas. Nicolas Roy, the OT hero in Game 2, scored his second goal of the series. He cleaned up a rebound off an Artturi Lehkonen shot to make it 3-1 Avalanche.

And then Devon Toews called game, helping the Avs to a 4-1 lead off a pass from Nathan MacKinnon. At that point everyone in Los Angeles knew the series was finished.

A laser from Toewser 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/Plov8NITuH

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 26, 2026

Avalanche stud defenseman Cale Makar scored his second filthy goal in as many games in the second period. Makar danced his way to the net then beat Kings goalie Anton Forsberg over the glove.

That gave Colorado a 2-0 lead and Makar, who usually doesn’t show much emotion, even gave a fist pump after this one.

CALE MAKAR! 🥬

WHAT A BEAUTY TO PUT THE @AVALANCHE UP 2-0! #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports 2 pic.twitter.com/zNojJG9EuU

— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2026

Los Angeles finally got on the board with a little more than six minutes to go in the frame. Joel Edmundson beat Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood with a knuckle puck, cutting the deficit in half to 2-1. That’s where things stood entering the final 20 minutes.

In the first period something important happened. Not only did the Avalanche score their first power play goal of the series, but the superstar MacKinnon found the back of the net. It was his first goal in four games against the Kings and he’d add an empty-netter for good measure to make it 5-1.

MacKinnon’s initial tally was a slick one-timer off a dish from Nazem Kadri. Forsberg got a piece of the puck, but not enough with the velocity the best player in the world put on the shot.

NATHAN MACKINNON 🚨

He's got his first goal of these #StanleyCup Playoffs!

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

— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2026

Now, the Avalanche will have at least five full days off before they begin Round 2 against either the Minnesota Wild or Dallas Stars.

That series is tied 2-2, so it’ll go six games or more. The earliest it can end is Thursday night, meaning the second-round between Colorado and the eventual winner wouldn’t start until at least Saturday. If it goes seven games then a Monday, May 4 opener is most likely.

Regardless, the Avalanche took care of business. A sweep always feels good in the postseason, but it’s even better that the Wild and Stars can beat each other up while Colorado gets a well-earned break.

Four wins down and 12 to go for the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history to come home to Denver.

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