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LOS ANGELES — Devon Toews scored with 4:55 remaining in the third period, lifting the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings Monday night at Crypto.com Arena, and making Colorado the first team in the National Hockey League to reach 40 wins this season.
Toews’ go-ahead goal came on a wrist shot following a pass from Nathan MacKinnon, breaking a 2-2 tie. Martin Necas then sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final seconds, completing a two-assist night for the Avalanche forward. MacKinnon, who leads the league with 41 goals, also scored earlier in the game, while Gabriel Landeskog contributed a goal and two assists.
The Kings, playing their first game under interim head coach D.J. Smith after Jim Hiller was relieved of his duties Sunday, saw a comeback attempt fall short. Brandt Clarke scored a power-play goal for Los Angeles, and Angus Booth netted his first career goal, tipping in a Brian Dumoulin pass. Anton Forsberg stopped 35 shots in the Kings’ net.
Colorado jumped to an early lead, scoring twice in the opening 10:13. MacKinnon and Landeskog both found the back of the net on one-timers, giving the Avalanche a 2-0 advantage. Clarke responded for the Kings late in the first period, capitalizing on a power play to cut the deficit to one.
The second period saw the game tied as Booth scored his first NHL goal, tying the game at 2-2. An early whistle negated a potential go-ahead goal by Necas earlier in the period.
The Avalanche (40-10-9) have now won four of their last five games. The Kings, meanwhile, were without seven key players due to injury or illness, including Olympic medalists Drew Doughty, Joel Armia, and Darcy Kuemper. The absences led to NHL debuts for Los Angeles players Booth, Kenny Connors, and Jared Wright.
Colorado will continue its road trip Tuesday with a visit to the Anaheim Ducks. The Kings will host the New York Islanders on Thursday.
