The Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings open the season in a huge Western Conference matchup. Both teams have high expectations for a long playoff run this season. The Avs went 51-24-7 last year, finishing first in the Central but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in seven games to the Kraken. The Kings were eliminated in the first round as well, losing in six games to the Oilers. They finished third in the Pacific with a 47-25-10 record. The Avs averaged 3.29 goals per game last season. On the defensive side, they allowed 2.68 goals per game, which was the ninth fewest. The Kings ranked tenth in scoring at 3.3 goals per game. On the defensive end, they allowed 3.05 goals per game, ranking 16th. The Kings will have a new goaltender for the first time since 2008 without Jonathon Quick between the pipes. Gabriel Landeskog will probably miss the season for the Avs but they still have an explosive offense with MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on the ice. The Avs have the edge in the net as Georgiev is better than Talbot.


Play on Colorado. This is a 2% play