The Colorado Avalanche will open the 2025-26 NHL season against the Los Angeles Kings at the Crypto.com Arena. Both clubs will be looking to get back to the playoffs this season following disappointing first-round exits.
The Avalanche enter the season relatively healthy, missing none of the team’s projected Opening Night starters. The only question mark surrounding the Avalanche is goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood. The Avs netminder did not play during the preseason and won’t likely be in the lineup on Tuesday night.
Avalanche vs Kings preview
The Opening Night matchup between these two Western Conference clubs features plenty of scoring power. The Avalanche will send all-world stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar to the ice, alongside captain Gabe Landeskog. Landeskog will suit up for the first time on Opening Night in three years.
The club will also feature some interesting new faces. Brent Burns will make his official Avalanche debut, likely skating on the third pairing with Sam Malinski. Also, Zakhar Bardakov looks like he’ll get the call on the fourth line. Winger Victor Olofsson will also get the nod on the third line.
As for the Kings, Anze Kopitar will get the call on the top line with Andrei Kuzmenko and Adrian Kempe. Tuesday night’s game figures to be Kempe’s final Opening Night, as he announced his retirement following this season.
Former Avalanche Darcy Kuemper should get the start for the Kings, with newcomers Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin on the blue line. The Kings’ forward group should prove dangerous with Quinton Byfield, Kevin Fiala, and Warren Foegele providing depth scoring to support the club’s top unit.
Players to watch
For the Avalanche, MacKinnon and Makar will be the players to watch. They will be looking to score early and get on the scoresheet. Beyond Avalanche’s main stars, Brock Nelson, Valeri Nichushkin, and Landeskog could add some offensive punch. They’ll also be looking to get on the scoresheet early in the season.
The Kings will feature Kempe, a solid two-way player, and Byfield, who’s emerged as a rising NHL star. The Avalanche vs Kings matchup could come down to veteran Drew Doughty showing off what he’s got for the Kings. The former Norris Trophy winner could be a deciding factor in the game.
Injury update
As mentioned earlier, the Avalanche have confirmed Blackwood will be on the Opening Roster, but won't likely play. Scott Wedgewood will get the call with Trent Miner backing him up.
According to Puckpedia, the club will carry three goalies to start the season. That situation could mean Blackwood might make his season debut within the next week or so. It seems Blackwood's injury is not serious enough to warrant placement on IR.
Logan O'Connor and Ilya Solovyov will also start the season on IR. O'Connor had hip surgery, while Solovyov has apparent personal issue.
As for the Kings, Daily Faceoff reports veteran Corey Perry is out for the Kings. He’ll be out for six to eight weeks following knee surgery. The other question mark will be Alex Laferriere, who’s been dealing with an undisclosed ailment. He’s a question mark and may not be available for the Avalanche vs Kings showdown.
Odds and lines
According to FanDuel, here are the lines for this matchup:
- The Avalanche enter as moneyline underdogs. They sit at +102 with the Kings as the favorites at -122.
- The spread shows the Avalanche at +1.5 (-245), with the Kings at -1.5 (+194).
- The over/under has the Avalanche at O5.5 (-134) and the Kings U5.5 (+110).
Based on FanDuel’s lines and odds, the Kings are poised to take the first game of the season in what appears to be a low-scoring affair.
Please note that game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change