After a summer away and a historic home record last season during their 2024-25 campaign, the LA Kings new campaign got off to a rocky start on Tuesday evening. The Colorado Avalanche rolled into town and left Crypto.com Arena with a commanding victory on Opening Night.
Despite the pregame buzz throughout the building for captain Anže Kopitar’s final home opener and a surprise debut of the Kings new third jersey, coach Jim Hiller’s team struggled to find its footing. A sluggish first and confusing second period proved costly, allowing the Avalanche to seize momentum early in the middle frame and build a lead that the Kings simply couldn’t overcome.
The game’s physical tone was set late in the first period when Colorado defenseman Josh Manson delivered a heavy hit on LA forward Warren Foegele, sparking immediate reaction from the Kings bench — specifically by Jeff Malott, who immediately dropped his gloves in defense of his teammate. Channeling the spirit of his brother, UFC fighter Mike Malott, Jeff squared up and brought fans to their feet with a spirited bout that reminded everybody of the team’s grittier edge.
Even Hiller was impressed, as evidenced by his postgame comments.
Late in the third period, the Kings showed a few signs of life. Down 4-0, they capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play with a goal by Kevin Fiala. With under five minutes remaining in regulation, Hiller opted to pull the goalie during an extended power play, giving LA another two-man advantage 6-on-4. However, the Avalanche goaltending stood strong.
It’s done and over with, though. LA now shifts attention to another challenge coming up quickly — a road game against the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow night at T-Mobile Arena. It’s already on the next, as Hiller’s squad will be looking to earn their first victory of the young season.
Game highlights can be viewed here:
Additional game notes:
— Brandt Clarke didn’t have a lot of minutes early, but ended up leading the team in 5×5 ice time.
— Clarke and Joel Edmundson were the only defensive pair to not have a goal scored on them.
— LA came out on top in the faceoff battle, 55-to-45%, with Kopitar winning 13 of his 17 draws.
— Quinton Byfield led all Kings players with four shots on goal.
— Kopitar had the least amount of ice time (17:47) of the top three centers. Phil Danault led the way with 19:40 TOI.
Pregame notes and lineups can be found in the article linked below.
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