The Los Angeles Kings continued their first-round playoff games against the Colorado Avalanche with the series shifting to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4.
Game 3 began with Colorado scoring five minutes into the game when Gabriel Landeskog scored his second goal of the series. The first period ended with the Avalanche holding on to a 1-0 lead. It was another defensive battle until the Kings scored about six minutes into the second period when Trevor Moore netted an even-strength goal. The Avalanche regained the lead about six minutes later when Cale Makar scored. The second period ended with Colorado holding a 2-1 lead.
The Avalanche then went up 3-1 in the third period when Artturi Lehkonen scored for the second time of the series, a short-handed goal. With four minutes remaining in the game, the Kings got back within one goal when Adrian Kempe scored on the power play.
The game was sealed for the Avalanche when Brock Nelson got an empty-netter, sealing a 4-2 win for Colorado. The victory earned the Avalanche a commanding 3-0 lead, and looking for the sweep of the Kings.
The Kings hoped to avoid the sweep in Game 4 in what would potentially be Anze Kopitar’s final game. However, plans backfired when Colorado broke the ice first when Nathan MacKinnon scored with seven minutes remaining in the first period on the powerplay. The period ended with the Avalanche hanging on to a 1-0 lead. Colorado extended their lead to 2-0 when Cale Makar scored his second goal of the series about six minutes into the second period.
The Kings finally got on the board when Joel Edmundson scored with seven minutes remaining in the period. Unfortunately, this would be the Kings' only and final goal of both the game and series. In the third period, the Avalanche came out strong, looking for the sweep. Just over three minutes into the period, Nicolas Roy scored his 2nd goal of the series, giving Colorado a 3-1 lead.
Barely three minutes later, the Avalanche then went up 4-1 when Devon Toews scored. The Kings pulled their goalie with about five minutes remaining in the game, but the Avalanche secured the win and the sweep when MacKinnon scored his second goal of the game on an empty-netter. The 5-1 victory allowed the Avalanche to advance to the second round and eliminated the Kings in Kopitar’s final game.
It was an unfortunate end to Kopitar’s legendary career, as he is officially retired. However, he did fulfill his prediction after his final regular season home game that the Kings would be back at home for a few more games. Kopitar ended his career as a two-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Selke Trophy winner, three-time Lady Byng Trophy winner and the Kings franchise all-time leader in games, assists, and points.
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