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O'Connor scored the game-winning goal Sunday during the Avalanche's 2-1 victory over the Kings in Game 1 of their first-round series.
The 29-year-old winger missed most of the regular season after undergoing hip surgery last June, and he didn't score a goal in 13 games once he finally made his 2025-26 debut in late March. In fact, O'Connor's last tally was also a playoff game-winner, as he opened the scoring in a 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4 of the first round last year. O'Connor produced a surprising two goals and six points in that seven-game series before Colorado's elimination, and he may be gearing up to provide some valuable secondary scoring once again despite his bottom-six role.
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Avalanche's Scott Wedgewood: Sharp in Game 1 win
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Wedgewood turned aside 24 shots Sunday during the Avalanche's 2-1 win over the Kings in Game 1 of their first-round series.
In his first career playoff start, Wedgewood nearly produced a shutout before Artemi Panarin got a puck past him on a Los Angeles power play with less than three minutes left in the third period. The 33-year-old netminder hasn't given up more than three goals in an outing since the Olympic break, and he's been all but unbeatable in April, going 5-1-0 with a microscopic 0.73 GAA and .967 save percentage. Wedgewood should be back in the crease for Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Kings' Anton Forsberg: Tough loss to Avs in Game 1
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Forsberg made 28 saves Sunday during the Kings' 2-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 1 of their first-round series.
The veteran netminder played well, but Los Angeles' offense couldn't solve Scott Wedgewood until there was less than three minutes left in the third period. Forsberg hasn't allowed more than three goals in an outing in over a month, posting a stellar 1.67 GAA and .940 save percentage over his last nine appearances as he seized the No. 1 job in the Kings' crease from Darcy Kuemper. Forsberg will likely be between the pipes again in Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Mammoth's Sean Durzi: Gathers assist in loss
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Durzi notched an assist and two PIM in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 1.
Durzi missed the last game of the regular season due to an upper-body injury, though it appears the Mammoth were just taking caution to prevent a larger issue. The 27-year-old is expected to be a regular in the lineup during the playoffs, though likely in a bottom-four role. He had 27 points, 84 shots on net, 88 blocked shots, 50 PIM and 40 hits over 60 regular-season appearances. He's in the playoffs for the third time in his career, having collected four points over 13 games across two previous postseason runs, both with the Kings.
Forsberg led the Kings out for warmups Sunday and will start Game 1 against the Avalanche, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Forsberg spent much of the season as Darcy Kuemper's backup, playing in just 36 games in the regular season, but Forsberg will get the nod in goal for Game 1. The 33-year-old Forsberg earned it with a fantastic month of April, going 5-1-0 with a 1.48 GAA and a .944 save percentage. On the flip side, Kuemper allowed 19 goals over his final four starts of his regular season. Forsberg will have his hands full with the Avalanche, who led the league with 3.63 goals per game in the regular season.
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Avalanche's Scott Wedgewood: Getting first playoff start
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Wedgewood will get the start in goal for Sunday's Game 1 against the Kings, Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports reports.
Wedgewood has appeared in four playoff games in his career, but this will be the first start in the playoffs for the 33-year-old. He had the best regular season of his career this year, playing in 45 games and going 31-6-6 with a 2.02 GAA and a .921 save percentage. The Avalanche may use Mackenzie Blackwood at some point in the postseason as well, but it will be Wedgewood's net to open the postseason against the Kings, who had the fourth-worst offense in the NHL during the regular season at 2.68 goals per game.
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Avalanche's Nazem Kadri: Set to play in Game 1
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Kadri (finger) is expected to play in Game 1 against the Kings on Sunday, per DNVR Avalanche.
After missing five straight games because of a broken finger, Kadri skated on the third line and worked on the top power-play unit during Saturday's practice. He finished the 2025-26 regular season with 16 goals, 50 points, 213 shots on net and 50 hits in 77 games between Colorado and Calgary.
Malott (undisclosed) will be an option for Game 1 against Colorado on Sunday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Malott is available to return after sitting out the last four games. He finished the 2025-26 regular season with three goals, nine points, 54 shots on net, 166 hits and 55 PIM in 58 appearances.
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Kings' Alex Turcotte: Available for Game 1
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Turcotte (undisclosed) has been cleared to play ahead of Sunday's road clash against the Avalanche in Game 1, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Turcotte missed eight consecutive games to close out the regular season, but will be available for the Kings' first-round playoff series opener. He was cleared for action Saturday alongside Jeff Malott (undisclosed) and Andrei Kuzmenko (knee), but all three likely won't be in the lineup together. Across 62 regular-season games in 2025-26, Turcotte had three goals, 14 points, 67 shots on net, 51 hits and 33 blocked shots.
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Kings' Andrei Kuzmenko: Available to return
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Kuzmenko (knee) is expected to be activated from injured reserve ahead of Game 1 against Colorado on Sunday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Kuzmenko participated in Saturday's practice, and he is available to return to the lineup after missing 25 games due to knee surgery. He had 13 goals, 25 points and 69 shots on net over 52 appearances before getting hurt.
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Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog: Back in action for Game 1
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Landeskog (rest) is expected to play in Sunday's home clash against the Kings in Game 1, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
After getting a night off against Seattle on Thursday, Landeskog is set to return for Game 1 of Colorado's opening-round playoff series. The 33-year-old winger posted 14 goals, 35 points, 132 shots on net, 86 hits and 32 blocked shots across 60 regular-season games in 2025-26. The Avalanche captain was on the third line and the top power-play unit during Saturday's practice.
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Kings' Pheonix Copley: Summoned from AHL
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Copley was recalled from AHL Ontario on Saturday.
Copley will probably serve as a depth option for the Kings in the playoffs behind Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg. The 34-year-old Copley has earned a 21-11-1 record with a 2.59 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 33 AHL appearances this season.
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Kings' Martin Chromiak: Gathers three points in AHL win
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Chromiak scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Ontario's 4-1 win over San Diego on Friday.
Chromiak has put up steady offense lately with seven goals and five assists over his last 10 outings. The forward has taken a bit step forward with 28 goals and 56 points over 70 outings with the Reign this season. The 23-year-old is still grinding in the AHL as he awaits his first chance to play at the NHL level.
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Kings' Kenny Connors: Three-point effort Friday
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Connors scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Ontario's 4-1 win over San Diego on Friday.
Connors crossed the 40-point mark for the season with this effort. He's at 15 goals, 41 points and a plus-18 rating over 65 outings this season as an AHL rookie. He also made two regular-season appearances in the NHL, but it could be a while before he's a regular for the Kings.
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Kings' Nikita Alexandrov: Logs three points in AHL win
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Alexandrov scored twice and added an assist in AHL Ontario's 4-1 win over San Diego on Friday.
Alexandrov has four goals and four assists over his last five outings. For the season, he's produced 16 goals, 40 assists, 144 shots and a minus-20 rating over 66 appearances between Ontario and Springfield. Ontario is the top team in the AHL's Pacific Division, so Alexandrov may be in line for a lengthy playoff run with the team.
Byfield scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Flames.
Byfield's goal gave him five points over the last three games of the regular season. He also set a career high with his 24th tally of the year, though he was unable to reach 50 points for a third straight campaign. The 23-year-old ends the regular season at 49 points, 180 shots on net, 66 hits, 44 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 79 appearances. Byfield has already started to take on significant minutes, a sign that he could be the heir apparent to the top-line center job that the retiring Anze Kopitar will vacate at the end of the Kings' playoff run.
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Kings' Anton Forsberg: Takes loss against Calgary
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Forsberg allowed two goals on 20 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Flames.
Forsberg's five-game winning streak was snapped with this result. The loss ultimately didn't matter -- both Edmonton and Anaheim won Thursday, which would have prevented the Kings from moving out of the second wild-card spot. Forsberg concludes the regular season at 16-12-5 with a 2.57 GAA and a .910 save percentage over 36 games. He played better than Darcy Kuemper down the stretch, but it remains to be seen which goalie gets the nod Sunday for Game 1 versus the Avalanche, a series in which the Kings will be heavy underdogs.
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