Los Angeles – Martin Nex scored two goals Nathan MacKinnon There were two assists to become the leading scorer in Avalanche history, and Colorado opened the regular season with a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen also scored during the second period for Colorado. Scott Wedgwood made 24 saves during the Avalanche's commanding performance in their first game since their disappointing first-round playoff exit to Dallas.
Kevin Fiala scored on a power play with 4:53 remaining for the Kings, who matched franchise records for wins and points last season before their fourth consecutive playoff appearance in the first round of the Edmonton Oilers.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 19 shots for Los Angeles, which made only a few changes under new general manager Ken Holland, but the Defense-First club looked slow in the second period of the AVS.
Anze Kopitar began his 20th and final NHL season after the Los Angeles captain announced his impending retirement last month.
Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog played in his first season opener since October 2021 and his first regular season game since March 10, 2022. He missed the last three regular seasons due to multiple knee surgeries, only returning for the playoffs last April.
MacKinnon's first assist was his 1,016th point in 871 games, pushing him past Joe Sakic's 1,015 points in 870 games for the Avalanche – although Sakic scored another 626 points before his Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver.
This game was played exactly 30 years after the Avalanche visited the Inglewood Forum for their first road game since relocating.
Lehkonen made it 3-0 on the rebound after Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar made a stunning trip into the net. NECAS added a power play goal in the third.
The Kings surprised their fans by wearing a previously unannounced third jersey for the game after warming up in their regular home jerseys. New Jersey is black and silver with the historic Crown logo blasted into the top crest.
Avalanche: Host Mammoth on Thursday.
Kings: At Golden Knights on Wednesday.
