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Avalanche Sweep Kings — Kopitar Bows Out After 20 Seasons
Avalanche sweep Kings 5-1 to advance. MacKinnon scores twice, Kopitar plays final NHL game. Series ends 4-0 for Colorado.
Avalanche Sweep Kings — Kopitar Bows Out After 20 Seasons
The Colorado Avalanche closed out the Western Conference First Round with a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4, completing a 4-0 sweep. For Kings captain Anze Kopitar, it was the final game of a 20-year NHL career.
Los Angeles Kings – Colorado Avalanche 1:5 (0:1, 1:1, 0:3)
Goals: 34. Edmundson (Kempe, Laferriere) – 14. MacKinnon (Kadri, Landeskog), 26. Makar, 44. N. Roy (Lehkonen, Malinski), 47. Toews (MacKinnon, Landeskog), 55. MacKinnon (Necas, Kulak).
Goalies: Forsberg – Wedgewood. Shots on goal: 25:32.
/series state: 0:4/
MacKinnon and Makar Stake the Lead
Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring in the 14th minute off a Kadri-Landeskog setup. Cale Makar made it 2-0 minutes later. The Avalanche dominated the opening 40 minutes, even as the Kings tried to give Crypto.com Arena an emotional finish.
Edmundson Replies — Then Avalanche Roll
Joel Edmundson cut the lead to 1-2 in the 34th on a Kempe assist. The Kings hoped for momentum. Instead, the Avalanche scored three times in the third in an 11-minute stretch: Nathan Roy in the 44th, Devon Toews in the 47th and MacKinnon's second of the night in the 55th.
Kopitar's Goodbye
Anze Kopitar, the Kings captain, played the final game of his 20-year NHL career. After the final horn, the Crypto.com Arena crowd gave him a long standing ovation and the public address announcer named him the third star. The two-time Stanley Cup champion (2012, 2014) departs as one of the greatest Slovenian athletes in history.
What It Means
{{awayTeam}} advances to Round 2 with a 4-0 sweep and a rest period before its next opponent. {{homeTeam}} says goodbye to the season and to a generational figure — Kopitar's farewell closes one of the most successful careers any Slovenian player has ever had in the NHL.