Mile High Sticking
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The Wild Wild West: Let’s Get Used to the Colorado Avalanche’s New Division

By King Dawit

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - SEPTEMBER 02: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on September 02, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - SEPTEMBER 02: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on September 02, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Kings

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – FEBRUARY 15: Erik Johnson #6 of the Colorado Avalanche fights for the puck against Matt Roy #3 of the Los Angeles Kings in the third period during the 2020 NHL Stadium Series game at Falcon Stadium on February 15, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – FEBRUARY 15: Erik Johnson #6 of the Colorado Avalanche fights for the puck against Matt Roy #3 of the Los Angeles Kings in the third period during the 2020 NHL Stadium Series game at Falcon Stadium on February 15, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

2019-20 Record: 29-35-6, 14th in the West (1-2-0 against Colorado)

The Avs had a tough time with California teams.

Playing the Avalanche for the first time at the 2020 Stadium Series at Falcon Stadium, the Avs saw their comfy 1-1 tie broke in less than a minute, with Tyler Toffoli completing a hat trick. To make matters worse, it was the second Kings win in twelve games. The next time the Avs played the Kings, Toffoli was a Vancouver Canuck, and LA was continuing a downward trend. The Avs would play their final shootout to date, as Jonathan Quick and those beautiful Kings throwbacks couldn’t stop Joonas Donskoi from getting past and the game winner.

The third time the Avs faced the Kings, the latter happened to be on a five-game win streak, in hopes to keep going and clinch a low seed. The Kings would win two more, but the season would end before they got the chance to keep going.

For the Kings, the main change is 18-year-old face of the future Quenton Byfield. After a 32 goal and 50 assist season in junior, Byfield, currently making everyone else know he’s NHL-ready on the World stage, will probably start on the second or third line. Aside from a few minor acquisitions, and Lias Andersson, the Kings haven’t made much improvements. Gabe Viliardi will likely see a bigger role this season, alongside Anze Kopitar and Alex Iafallo, but despite a few bright spots, the Kings remain in the worst spot in the division.

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