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Nathan MacKinnon did mention on media day that he had been thinking about some things he might do differently this season.
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MacKinnon scoring two goals and being an offensive terror? That’s not new.
The Colorado Avalanche superstar dropping his gloves, decisively winning a fight and then throwing his helmet on his way to the penalty box? Yeah, that was different.
It was a wild night at Ball Arena to open the 2026-27 season for the Avs. That was punctuated by MacKinnon challenging Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke to a fight in the third period of an 8-4 victory.
Colorado’s power play scored four times, matching the most it had in a game all of last year. Even more impressive, three of them came from the second unit – including two from Artturi Lehkonen. There were some things to clean up as well, but Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves and the league’s best offense from a season ago looked in midseason form.
MacKinnon scored his first of the year just 23 seconds into the second period with the Avs enjoying a two-man advantage. He led the NHL with 53 last season, earning the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the first time in his career.
That put the Avs up 3-1, but the Kings answered before Colorado’s power play was over. Joel Armia collected the puck in the neutral zone and scored from the high slot at 1:28 of the second.
The Avs allowed a league-worst 13 shorthanded goals last season, and the Kings weren’t done taking advantage while short-handed.
MacKinnon scored again at 8:33 after a behind-the-back pass from Martin Necas. When Nicolas Roy scored during a goal-mouth scramble at 16:01, the Avs were in total control with a 5-2 lead.
Trevor Moore scored the second shorthanded tally of the night for the Kings at 17:50 of the period, but Artturi Lehkonen answered 44 seconds later on a feed from Brock Nelson, the second of the second power-play unit’s scoring of the evening.
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Nelson also collected the first goal of the season at 6:33 of the first, with PP2 on the ice.
New addition Jaden Schwartz sent the puck from near the right goal line towards the net. It made it through a trio of bodies on one hop to Nelson on the left side, who put a shot off Los Angeles goalie Darcy Kuemper.
The Avs scored 45 power-play goals last season while struggling with the extra man for much of the year. They scored 43 of them with Nathan MacKinnon on the ice. One of the two without him came in a game MacKinnon didn’t play in.
So this Avs team already has more true PP2 goals (three) after one game as the 2025-26 squad had all of last year.
Los Angeles carried the play, particularly at even strength, for much of the opening period. The Kings evened the score at 15:14 with a Brian Dumoulin shot through traffic from the top of the left circle.
Devon Toews took a penalty on the next shift, but three seconds after he exited the box, Parker Kelly put the Avs back in front. He and Fedor Svechkov had a 2-on-1 as the penalty was expiring, and Kelly – who scored a career-best 21 goals a year ago – picked up where he left off by blistering a shot past Kuemper from inside the right circle.
Captain Gabe Landeskog scored shortly after MacKinnon’s fight for Colorado’s seventh goal, and Lehkonen’s second of the night made it an 8-4 advantage.
FOOTNOTES: The Avs announced a four-year contract extension for coach Jared Bednar on Wednesday. … Forwards Logan O’Connor and Zachary L’Heureux both missed the game with lower-body injuries. Colorado played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, so Noah Juulsen also made his debut in an Avs uniform alongside Schwartz, Svechkov, and Hughes.
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