Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings Prepare for Game 4 of First-Round Series
Introduction
The Colorado Avalanche, who won the Presidents' Trophy, are set to play the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series this Sunday at Crypto.com Arena. Colorado currently holds a strong 3-0 lead in the series.
Main Body
Colorado has dominated the series so far, trailing for only about three minutes across three games. While the Avalanche have scored more goals than the Kings, their power play has been unsuccessful, failing to score on nine attempts. In contrast, Los Angeles has scored three power-play goals, but they have struggled during regular 5-on-5 play, scoring only once. Goaltending has played a major role in these results. Colorado's Scott Wedgewood has stopped 72 of 76 shots, while Anton Forsberg has kept the Colorado offense to seven goals. Forsberg took over the starting position after Darcy Kuemper finished the regular season with a .981 save percentage. Furthermore, team lineups have changed due to injuries; Colorado's Josh Manson is likely out with an upper-body injury, and Los Angeles' Kevin Fiala is unavailable for the rest of the season. Despite their current situation, the Kings have a historical reason to stay hopeful. Although they have not won a playoff series since 2014, they managed to recover from a 3-0 deficit against the San Jose Sharks that year and eventually won the Stanley Cup. This remains the only time the franchise has come back from such a position.
Conclusion
The result of Game 4 will decide if the Colorado Avalanche complete a sweep to advance to the second round, or if the Los Angeles Kings can extend the series to a fifth game.