The Los Angeles Kings opened their season with an 8-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in front of a sold-out crowd in Denver, according to The Hockey News.
The Kings had four different goal scorers: Brian Dumoulin, Artemi Panarin, Trevor Moore and Joel Armia. The Hockey News said Los Angeles had a solid night in the offensive zone, but Colorado's attack exposed the Kings' defense.
Special teams decided much of the game. Colorado went 2-for-2 on the power play in the first period to take a 2-1 lead and finished the night 4-for-5 with the man advantage. Dumoulin scored a shorthanded goal for Los Angeles, and the Kings outshot the home team, but they were still behind after 15 minutes.
Every time the Kings cut the lead to one or two goals, Colorado answered. The Avalanche led 6-3 after two periods, with the home crowd behind them.
It is one game in an 82-game season. Still, The Hockey News described the opener as having the feel of an intense rivalry, and Colorado controlled most of it.