MacKinnon scores twice, fights Clarke as Avalanche beat Kings 8-4

Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen each scored twice as the Colorado Avalanche opened their season with an 8-4 home win over the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on Sept. 30.

Colorado scored four times on the power play and pulled away with four goals in the second period. The loss came in Peter Laviolette's first game as Kings coach.

Brock Nelson contributed a goal and two assists, while Parker Kelly had a goal and an assist. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 27 of 31 shots; Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves for Los Angeles.

Nelson's power-play opener and Kelly's goal put Colorado ahead 2-1 after the first period, with Brian Dumoulin scoring for the Kings.

MacKinnon struck 23 seconds into the second on a two-man advantage, then scored again at 8:33. Nicolas Roy and Lehkonen also scored in the period. Joel Armia and Trevor Moore each answered with a shorthanded goal, leaving Los Angeles behind 6-3 at the intermission.

Artemi Panarin narrowed the gap at 11:51 of the third during a delayed penalty. Gabriel Landeskog replied at 14:03, and Lehkonen added his second power-play goal at 15:06 to complete the scoring.

MacKinnon also fought Kings defenceman Brandt Clarke at 13:20 of the third period, with Colorado leading 6-4, and both players received five-minute majors. MacKinnon said afterward that he challenged Clarke. "It's an intense game, and he didn't say a great word to me, and I didn't like the word, and yeah we fought," he said, as reported by Daily Faceoff.

MacKinnon also pointed to an earlier Clarke hit on Cale Makar. "Didn't love the hit. I know Cale might have fell, but it is what it is. It's Cale Makar," he said, according to Avalanche On SI.