Avalanche Down Kings, Close in on Series Sweep

The Colorado Avalanche are on the verge of a Western Conference First Round sweep after defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Thursday night in Game 3 of the series.

Artturi Lehkonen led the Avalanche offense with a goal and an assist, while Nathan MacKinnon continued his strong postseason play with two assists. The victory puts Colorado up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, with Game 4 scheduled for Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Avalanche, who won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best regular-season team, have now outscored the Kings 10-4 through the first three games. Scott Wedgewood earned the win in goal for Colorado, making 26 saves on 28 shots.

For the Kings, Adrian Kempe and Phillip Danault each scored to keep Los Angeles within striking distance early, but the Avalanche pulled away in the third period with two quick goals to seal the outcome.

With a chance to close out the series on the road, the Avalanche aim to become the first team to sweep the Kings in a playoff series since 2014. Los Angeles faces elimination and will need to win Game 4 to stay alive.

The winner of the series will advance to the Western Conference Second Round to face either the Edmonton Oilers or the Vegas Golden Knights, depending on the outcome of the other first-round matchup.