NHL· Season 2025
Cale Makar's tiebreaker and Lehkonen's short-handed dagger powered Colorado past Los Angeles 4-2 in Game 3 — Avalanche lead the West First Round 3-0.
Match Videos
Match Summary
Colorado Avalanche defeated Los Angeles Kings 4:2. The match was played in NHL 2025. Goals were scored by G. Landeskog 5′, T. Moore 5′, C. Makar 12′, A. Lehkonen 7′, A. Kempe 15′, B. Nelson 17′. Score by period: P1: 0–1, P2: 1–1, P3: 1–2.
Player Ratings
1.0 – 10.0Cale Makar
Game-winning goal in the second period — the Norris-trophy defenceman delivered the swing once again.
Artturi Lehkonen
Goal and an assist; short-handed back-breaker at 7:39 of the third.
Scott Wedgewood
24 saves on 26 shots; bailed out the Avalanche during a busy LA push in the third.
Adrian Kempe
Power-play goal at 15:57 to cut the deficit to 3-2; Kings' best forward by some distance on the night.
Match Analysis
AI SummaryMakar Tiebreaker, Lehkonen SHG Push Avalanche to 3-0 Series Lead
Cale Makar scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period, Artturi Lehkonen added a short-handed dagger, Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves, and the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche moved to the brink of the second round with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles Kings 2 - 4 Colorado Avalanche (periods 0-1, 1-1, 1-2)
Goals: 25:55 Moore (Byfield, Laferriere), 55:57 Kempe (Panarin, Laferriere, PP) — 5:29 Landeskog (Roy, Manson), 32:12 Makar (Toews, Lehkonen), 47:39 Lehkonen (SHG), 57:42 Nelson (EN).
Goalies: Forsberg (19 saves) — Wedgewood (24 saves).
Series: Colorado lead 3-0.
Landeskog's tip stakes Colorado the early lead
Gabriel Landeskog deflected a Nicolas Roy point shot past Anton Forsberg at 5:29 of the first to put Colorado up 1-0. Trevor Moore answered for Los Angeles in the second period off a Quinton Byfield-Alex Laferriere set-up at 5:55 to even the score before Makar restored the lead at 12:12 with a wrist shot from the right circle, set up by Devon Toews and Lehkonen.
Lehkonen's short-handed dagger
Down a man early in the third, Colorado turned the tables: Lehkonen's intended pass for Logan O'Connor on a 2-on-1 deflected off Adrian Kempe's skate and through Forsberg's five-hole at 7:39 — a short-handed goal that stretched the lead to 3-1. Kempe answered with a power-play tip-in at 15:57 to make it 3-2, but Brock Nelson's empty-netter at 17:42 closed it out.
Wedgewood does the heavy lifting
Wedgewood was steady for Colorado all night and especially in the third period as Los Angeles outshot them 26-23. Forsberg, who took over for Darcy Kuemper after Game 1, was solid but couldn't survive the deflections — two Colorado goals came off fortunate redirects.
What it means
Colorado have outscored the Kings 13-7 across three games and can complete a sweep in Game 4 on Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena. The Avalanche have controlled the series despite Nathan MacKinnon being held without a goal — depth scoring has done the damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of Kings vs Avalanche Game 3?
Colorado Avalanche 4, Los Angeles Kings 2.
Who scored the game-winning goal?
Cale Makar in the second period at 12:12 was the eventual game-winner.
What was the venue?
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles.
How many saves did Scott Wedgewood make?
Wedgewood stopped 24 of 26 shots faced for the Avalanche.
Did Nathan MacKinnon score?
No — MacKinnon remained without a goal in the series; the Avalanche scored from depth.
What is the series score?
Colorado lead the Western Conference First Round series 3-0.
Match Events
Key match events between Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche — 6 goals and 8 cards recorded during the match.
J. Manson
Cross-checking
Elbowing
A. Laferriere
High sticking
A. Lehkonen
Diving
Interference
Tripping
Interference
Shorthanded
Tripping
A. Laferriere
Empty net
Match Context
Stanley Cup Playoffs — Western Conference First Round, Game 3
Presidents' Trophy winners on the doorstep of a sweep.
Los Angeles Kings
Kings face elimination at home in Game 4 after dropping their first home game of the series.
Colorado Avalanche
A win at Crypto.com Arena gives Colorado a 3-0 stranglehold and a chance to sweep on Saturday.
Pre-Match Analysis
Los Angeles Kings Form
L-L-L
Colorado Avalanche Form
W-W-W
Head to Head
Avalanche won Games 1-2 at Ball Arena (4-2, 5-4 OT).
Match Report
Landeskog opened on a deflection, Trevor Moore tied it, Makar restored Colorado's lead in the second, Lehkonen converted short-handed early in the third, Kempe pulled one back on the power play, and Nelson sealed it with an empty-netter.
Turning Point
Lehkonen's short-handed goal at 7:39 of the third — his pass for O'Connor on a 2-on-1 deflected off Adrian Kempe's skate and through Anton Forsberg's five-hole. A 1-0 power-play deficit became a 3-1 hole.
Colorado lead 3-0 and can sweep in Game 4 on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
Rivalry since 2014
Los Angeles Kings vs Colorado Avalanche Head to Head Results· 50
Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche have met 50 times — Los Angeles Kings won 20, Colorado Avalanche won 30, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2014. Colorado Avalanche leads the head-to-head with 30 victories from 50 meetings. A combined 265 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 5.30 per match (115 for the home side, 150 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 44 matches (88%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 49 games (98%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. Colorado Avalanche are currently unbeaten in the last 6 meetings. The highest-scoring encounter finished 9–3 in 2022.
Recent Meetings
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 15 May 2026