Colorado Avalanche News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Martin Necas, Colorado Avalanche (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

3 Takeaways From the Avalanche’s 4-1 Win Over the Kings

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Ryan Womeldorf | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 10:05 AM ET

The NHL season has finally arrived! Colorado Avalanche fans have been eagerly anticipating the start of the season as the team is gearing up for a serious run at its fourth Stanley Cup championship. The road to a title began in Los Angeles with a game against the very tough Kings.

The first period felt like a feeling-out point, but the floodgates opened in the second period. The Avalanche ultimately cruised to the 4-1 win, and there are three takeaways worth noting from a fantastic team effort on Tuesday night.

Necas Is Going to Get a Bag

Martin Necas is going to get paid. It took some time for him to get acclimated after being brought in as part of the blockbuster Mikko Rantanen trade last season. Speculation reigned throughout the offseason, understandable given that he’s entering the final season of his contract.

In the season preview, we expected him to have a big season. He came out of the gates displaying all the speed and skill needed to ride shotgun with Nathan MacKinnon. He scored the first goal of the season for the Avalanche, an absolutely gnarly snapshot after a smooth pass from MacKinnon.

Midway through the third period, with the Avalanche on the power play, Necas took a pass just above the right circle and ripped an absolute beauty to the far side. It’s one game, but he looks confident and incredibly skilled. Playing for a new contract, Necas already looks like he’s about to have the best season of his career.

Goaltending Is Fine Even with Blackwood Sidelined

Though the situation with Mackenzie Blackwood has been known for some time, there was a bit of concern when it was announced that he wouldn’t travel to Los Angeles with the team. None of that mattered, however, as Scott Wedgewood stepped in and had a dominant performance.

Wedgewood was excellent throughout the game, calmly turning aside a few strong chances in the first period, especially. It took a five-on-three late in the third period for the Kings to get on the board; otherwise, it was a dominant performance.

Blackwood isn’t expected to be out all that long, but it’s nice to know that the goaltending situation is still in good hands. It’s especially crazy compared to the start of last season when it felt like it was on fire and a complete liability.

Casually Dominant

The first period was about as close as things were all night, both teams feeling one another out while each goaltender made a couple of big saves. Starting early in the second period, the Avalanche simply turned on the jets and never looked back.

Scott Wedgewood, Colorado Avalanche (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Perhaps the most impressive part was how dominant they were defensively. With one of the top defenses on paper, the Avalanche held the Kings to just five shots. They clogged passing lanes, kept the Kings to the perimeter, and generally allowed Wedgewood to see everything.

Coupled with the offensive outburst, the Avalanche looked positively dominant. This is the kind of team that can take over a game in no time, and it went from “tight” to feeling over in the space of seven minutes in the second period. When Artturi Lehkonen scored with a little more than five minutes left in the second, the result felt all but academic.

An Excellent Start to the Season

You couldn’t ask for a better start than this. The Avalanche looked cool, calm, and in control from the start. As the offense started to find a groove, they were buoyed by strong goaltending and defensive play. It is the kind of complete, 60-minute effort that always gets talked about but seems to rarely appear.

It’s one game, but it feels like the optimal start to the season. The Avalanche head home to take on the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night and have a big early-season matchup with the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. Heading into Monday’s game with the lowly Buffalo Sabres, the Avalanche could be riding an early emotional high that sets the tone for the rest of the season.