DENVER, CO - APRIL 19: Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) wins a faceoff against Colorado Avalanche center Jack Drury (18) in the third period during the Los Angeles Kings versus Colorado Avalanche game one Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round game at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on April 19, 2026. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images After grinding out a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, the Colorado Avalanche look to take a 2-0 series lead over the Kings tonight in game two. Puck drop is set for 8:22 p.m. MT on ESPN.Colorado AvalancheGame one was certainly much more low-scoring than some people might have initially anticipated, but the Avs wound up with the win, and that’s ultimately what matters in the playoffs.
No one really cares how you win, just that you won. Despite Colorado pulling out the win, there are still plenty of places for the Avs to improve, such as on the powerplay, specifically, as the Avs went 0-4 in game one. If the Avs can play as they did in game one and convert on the powerplay, they should be more than capable of burying the Kings tonight and taking a two-game lead to Los Angeles for game three.No word on when Ross Colton is set to draw back into the lineup but all indications are the Avs are going with the same lineup which won them Game 1.
That includes in net with Scott Wedgewood expected to get the start again.Projected LineupArtturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin NecasParker Kelly – Brock Nelson – Valeri NichushkinGabriel Landeskog – Nazem Kadri – Nicolas RoyJoel Kiviranta – Jack Drury – Logan O’ConnorDevon Toews – Cale MakarBrent Burns – Josh MansonBrett Kulak – Sam MalinskiScott WedgewoodMackenzie BlackwoodLos Angeles KingsGoing into this series, it was known that the Kings were going to try to keep the games low-scoring to try and give themselves a chance to be competitive, which is what they were able to do in game one. While this team has some offensive firepower with the likes of Panarin, Kopitar, Byfield, and Kempe in its lineup, the way they thrived in games throughout the year was by playing strong defensively and keeping games low-scoring.
If the Avs can break through on the powerplay and run away in game two, as mentioned above, LA is going to have a difficult time hanging around. Projected LineupArtemi Panarin – Anze Kopitar – Adrian KempeTrevor Moore – Quinton Byfield – Alex LaferriereJoel Armia – Scott Laughton – Jared WrightMathieu Joseph – Samuel Helenius – Jeff MalottMikey Anderson – Drew DoughtyJoel Edmundson – Brandt ClarkeBrian Dumoulin – Cody CeciAnton ForsbergDarcy KuemperFollow along in the comments below!