The Colorado Avalanche’s opponent during the first round of the postseason changes with each switch between teams who are in the second wildcard spot in the standings. As of Thursday afternoon, it is the Los Angeles Kings.
With the current playoff format, the top seed in each conference plays the second wildcard team. The Kings got back into that spot.
You’ve probably heard that Kings legend Anze Kopitar will be retiring at the end of the season. Kopitar has won two Stanley Cups during his career, which began in 2006, while he was drafted in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Kopitar led the Kings in goals and assists in both seasons.
Playing the Kings would be a fun switch-up for the Avalanche, too. They have played each other in the post season two times ever—in 2001 Western Conference Semifinals and 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals, with Colorado earning the series win both times.
Avalanche swept Kings in season series
The Avalanche swept the Kings in their series this year, consisting of three games. Their first matchup of the season was on October 7, 2025, with the Avs pulling through 4-1. Martin Necas had two goals, while Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen each had one.
The Avs won the second matchup by a score of 5-2, with five different scorers for Colorado. In the third and final matcup of the regular season, Colorado won 4–2, Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, Gabriel Landeskog and Martin Necas each scored for the Avs in that one, while
Overall, Kopitar has played the Avalanche 70 times in his career, recording 19 goals and 47 assists. Sending Kopitar and the Kings home in the postseason would be pretty sweet for Colorado as well as Avs Nation. Being able to play spoiler is always fun, though respect for Kopitar is certainly there. It would certainly be a cool accomplishment. Kopitar will have his heart on his sleeve during this game.
Doing so at Ball Arena would be awesome, too. Of course, not every game in the series will be there, but if the Avalanche clinch home-ice advantage, they will play four out of seven games at home (if it reaches seven games). After this season, Drew Doughty will be the only remaining player from the team’s last Stanley Cup win.
There is a lot of hockey to be played and a lot of different scenarios that can happen, but as of this article, the Kings will be the Avalanche’s first-round opponent. Even if that doesn’t remain to be true, it would be cool to eliminate the Kings in any round.