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Necas scores twice, PP flexes muscles as Colorado Avalanche shut out LA Kings

Martin Necas, MacKenzie Blackwood, and the Colorado Avalanche flexed their muscles as they shut out the LA Kings at Ball Arena with a complete effort.
ByNestor Quixtan|
The Colorado Avalanche blanked the LA Kings with a complete effort headlined by two power play goals.
The Colorado Avalanche blanked the LA Kings with a complete effort headlined by two power play goals. | Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

The Colorado Avalanche notched a dominant 4-0 win over the LA Kings on Thursday night a Ball Arena. The Avalanche, led by Martin Necas, pounded a Kings squad that had won four in a row heading into the clash against Colorado.

While the game was scoreless after 20 minutes, it was all Colorado in the second period. Logan O’Connor scored his ninth of the season to open the scoring.

Here’s a look at the goal:

The yeoman’s goal resulted from a nifty play by Cale Makar, allowing O’Connor to tap the puck in the back of the net. O’Connor deserves plenty of credit for fighting off the Kings’ defender in the back of the net to get the goal.

O’Connor’s goal stood as the game-winner. The Kings were unable to get much of anything going, eventually surrendering two more in the second.

Necas continues to roll

Martin Necas continues to roll in Colorado, blossoming into the player the Avalanche hoped he would become. On Thursday night, he notched three points (2G, 1A).

Let’s look at Necas’ first goal:

Necas’ keen eye allowed him to pick up the rebound off the boards and tuck the puck past David Rittich. The goal was Necas’ 25th of the season and gave the Avs a 2-0 lead.

Now, here’s Necas’ second of the night, a power play tally:

Necas scored on a wicked one-timer, leaving Rittich practically no chance to make the save. The tally put the game out of reach for the Kings at 3-0 late in the second period. Necas added an assist on Jonathan Drouin’s power play goal in the third, giving him three points on the night.

Since joining the Avalanche, Necas has registered 10 goals and 15 assists in 24 games. That production is what the Avalanche hoped they would get from the Czech native.

Blackwood on fire

MacKenzie Blackwood was on fire against the Kings, stopping all 22 shots he faced. While Blackwood wasn’t forced to make overly challenging saves, he held the fort for his fourth shutout of the season.

Most importantly, Blackwood’s confidence continues to grow as the Avalanche gel into the team we all thought they would be at the start of this season.

Blackwood, along with Scott Wedgewood, has solidified the crease, turning a seeming weakness from a few months ago into a significant strength at this point in the season.

Overall, the Avs have now won four in a row and are 8-1-1 in their last 10. With the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets cooling off down the stretch, a pathway could open for the Avalanche to bulldoze their way through the Western Conference playoff bracket.

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