LOS ANGELES — Game 1 of Colorado’s new season went exactly how the team likely wanted it to. The Avalanche stars played with their normal (yet still impressive) firepower, and — in a refreshing change from the way last season ended — the club’s depth chipped in, too.
“All around good game from our group to start it off,” coach Jared Bednar said after Colorado’s 5-2 win against the L.A. Kings.
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Added Mikko Rantanen: “It’s good to see we were ready to play right away.”
The Finnish winger was the night’s hero, scoring two goals and adding a pair of assists. The top line as a whole — Jonathan Drouin, Nathan MacKinnon and Rantanen — combined for eight points, and the Avalanche had 61 percent of the expected goal share when it was on the ice at even strength, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The trio teamed up for the first goal of the season midway through the first period. Drouin whacked a puck behind the net to Rantanen, who fed MacKinnon in the slot. MacKinnon beat Cam Talbot blocker side to give Colorado the early lead.
Thank you Nathan MacKinnon!pic.twitter.com/ntGgiSh7AS
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 12, 2023
MacKinnon and Rantanen both scored more than 100 points in 2022-23, so the score was a continuation of where they left off. Drouin, meanwhile, is new to Colorado but played junior hockey with MacKinnon. He seemed to jell with the two stars, both of whom praised his play postgame, in his debut. Their line was the Avalanche’s best throughout the night.
“I thought they came out skating right away,” Bednar said. “They got a little stubborn with the puck at times through the neutral zone, but they were also able to make a bunch of nice plays and create a bunch of scoring chances.”
The stars weren’t the ones who clinched the win, though. That was the third line of Miles Wood, Ross Colton and Tomas Tatar, all offseason additions. With four minutes left and Talbot pulled for an extra attacker, Tatar chipped a puck along the boards. Colton dove in the offensive zone to nudge the puck past Adrian Kempe and onto Wood’s stick. The former Devils forward knocked the puck into the net to finish the play.
When Seattle eliminated Colorado in April, the Avalanche had been relying almost entirely on their top players for offense. That the third line made a big play Wednesday, even if it came with an empty net, was surely an encouraging early-season sign for Bednar and his staff.
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Rebounding in the third
During a faceoff at center ice in the dying seconds of the second period, MacKinnon and Drouin darted forward in what appeared to be a set play. Unfortunately for them, Colorado didn’t get possession of the puck. The Kings went on the attack, and Quinton Byfield shot a puck off Cale Makar’s stick and past goalie Alexandar Georgiev. That cut the Avalanche lead to 3-2.
“It’s one mistake,” Bednar said. “It shouldn’t define us. That was our message between the periods.”
The Avalanche showed Bednar what he wanted. They had 69 percent of the five-on-five expected goal share in the third period, per Natural Stat Trick, and got the goal back when Rantanen tipped a Jack Johnson shot past Talbot. Shortly before the goal, MacKinnon allowed the play to stay alive by zooming toward the Kings’ end to prevent icing.
Colorado killed off two Bowen Byram penalties — only one of which Bednar thought should’ve been called — and let the Kings get no closer.
“We had a good chat in the second intermission to stay on the gas,” Rantanen said. “I think the third might’ve been one of our best periods tonight.”
Georgiev shines, especially on the penalty kill
Bednar liked his team’s showing on the penalty kill, but Georgiev was the unit’s best player. He stopped all 11 shots he saw on five Los Angeles power plays, including a skate save on Phillip Danault in the third.
Georgiev stopped 34 of 36 shots in total, and MacKinnon called him “one of the best in the league.”
“We’re lucky to have a guy like that back there,” the centerman said.
In front of Georgiev, Colorado’s penalty kill unit is relying on plenty of new faces, including Fredrik Olofsson (3:22 of short-handed ice time), Colton (2:56), Wood (2:26) and Tatar (1:06). The group allowed Los Angeles dangerous chances, which were masked by Georgiev’s strong play, but also showed reason for optimism as it continues to settle in. Wood’s speed is an asset, and Colton looked comfortable.
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“I liked (the penalty kill) tonight,” Bednar said. “They’ve been pretty good in practice. Some of those guys are doing double duty with power play and penalty kill, so they don’t get to practice the penalty kill as much, so you’ve got to get reps in the game as well.”
Chippiness highlights showdown
Both sides were plenty feisty coming into the season. Multiple large scrums broke out throughout the night. In the first period, Kevin Fiala shot a puck after officials blew the play dead, leading Bowen Byram and Avalanche skaters to charge his way.
“Whether he (heard the whistle) or not, I don’t think it really matters,” Byram said. “It was unnecessary. Nothing to get too fired up about, but we did. It’s always good to get in the mix a little bit.”
In the second, Pierre-Luc Dubois clipped Fredrik Olofsson’s leg, leading to yet another set of tussles.
“He’s coming down, I’m jumping by him, going the other way,” Olofsson said. “He tried to stop me but he doesn’t really have a good hit. It happens fast out there.”
Here's the video of Dubois clipping Olofsson with his leg#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/LfpJxcMejb
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 12, 2023
Immediately after the play, Logan O’Connor and Alex Laferriere split away from the pack and got into a fight. The Avalanche winger landed a few punches before Laferriere, who was making his NHL debut, pulled him to the ice. Kurtis MacDermid, Colorado’s 6-foot-5 bruiser, also earned a roughing penalty during the post-whistle shenanigans. Discussing how he felt having teammates stand up for him, Olofsson made sure to add “I’m glad we’ve got Dermy on our side.”
MacFarland addresses media
Speaking to reporters for the first time since the summer free-agency frenzy, general manager Chris MacFarland offered a few notable updates on his roster:
• Goaltender Pavel Francouz (lower body) is out indefinitely. Justus Annunen dressed as backup Wednesday, and the team recently claimed ex-Coyote Ivan Prosvetov off waivers as another option.
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• With Gabriel Landeskog out for the season, the Avalanche will use long-term injured reserve all year. Though Colorado would without question rather have Landeskog healthy, clarity on his absence gives MacFarland added salary-cap flexibility. That allowed it to sign difference-making players this offseason — a luxury the team didn’t have in 2022-23 when it thought the captain would return before playoffs.
“The difference between this year and last year is this year we know (Landeskog will be out), and last year we didn’t,” MacFarland said.
That was why Colorado didn’t use LTIR to exceed the salary cap by Landeskog’s cap hit in 2022-23.
• The team still hasn’t reached an extension with standout defenseman Devon Toews. Without giving away too much, MacFarland expressed optimism about the situation.
“I’m not going to comment on negotiations or contract situations, but Devon is a really important player for us,” he said. “We’re hopeful that we’ll continue to chat and we’ll see where it goes.”
(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)