LOS ANGELES — The Colorado Avalanche’s quest for 50 wins this season is no more. They can no longer accomplish the feat thanks to a 5-4 defeat to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon.

The Avs started off on the wrong foot early, and it eventually cost them in the long run. In a game which didn’t matter as much to the visitors as it did to the home team, as mentioned in our preview, it didn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.

First Period

Two quick and early strikes put Colorado behind the eight-ball. Andrei Kuzmenko found Quinton Byfield on a nice feed in front on a rush into the zone, which Mackenzie Blackwood couldn’t react to in time. Colorado did challenge but was unsuccessful, leading to an unsuccessful power play for the Kings.

Kuzmenko then followed suit with another assist just under three minutes later. Valeri Nichushkin was off for tripping Warren Foegele, leading to the power-play goal. This time, he orchestrated the play for Kevin Fiala, who pulled off a nice toe drag and beat Blackwood to double the lead for the Kings.

But then, Brock Nelson made some history. He managed his 300th career goal on a 5-on-3 opportunity with Kyle Burroughs and Trevor Moore in the box for delay of game and high-sticking, respectively. Nelson finished off a brilliant pass from Charlie Coyle to get the Avs on the board heading into the break.

Second Period

The Avalanche struck early thanks to Nichushkin. At the 2:13 mark, Artturi Lehkonen behind the net fed the Russian, who put it into a gaping net to tie the game up on just their seventh shot of the game.

Colorado certainly had looks to take the lead and have control over the game. Against an LA side that is dominant at home, though, they weren’t able to. Rather, it would be Alex Laferriere putting one home to snatch the lead back on a quick one-timer.

Veteran leader Alex Kopitar followed suit with a tally of his own at the 16:02 mark. He got a shot by Adrian Kempe, which rebounded off the pad of Blackwood right to him to put home. Just like that, the Kings had a nice 4-2 lead with 20 minutes left.

Third Period

Colorado would simply not go away, though. Even with a different roster similar to a preseason game, players like Sam Malinski showed up. His wrist shot from the far circle fooled Darcy Kuemper and brought the game within one at the halfway mark.

However, the Kings managed to find their crucial insurance goal. Kevin Fiala finished off a nice pass behind the net from Laferriere to put the advantage back up to two for the Kings.

It would be important as Nelson notched another goal, his second of the game. He managed to put away a bouncing puck at 6-on-5 play. At 17:20, it pulled the Avs within one and brought the game down to the wire. But they could not score again with the net empty in the losing effort to the Kings.

Observations From the Mountaintop

Obviously, this game meant nothing for the Avalanche in the bigger picture. They were already set in third place in the Central Division, and are now officially lined up for a first-round rematch against the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This game allowed for opportunities to try new things and see where the Avs stood heading into the most important time of the season. The Avs were already without Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Josh Manson, Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton, or Ryan Lindgren. But, we got to see some new faces like Wyatt Aamodt. He made his NHL debut on the blue line, registering 15:09 on ice with two shots on net.

Elsewhere, Nelson looked good with two goals. Jared Bednar had some higher hopes for a couple of guys postgame, including Blackwood and Martin Necas. Even with Necas tacking on an assist in this game, he’s a step off from where he had been before. The same can be said about Blackwood. Both have a lot to prove in the postseason, especially going up against Mikko Rantanen, the player Necas was traded with. Plus, Blackwood will be keenly watched considering the goaltending debacle in Game One of the playoffs last season with Alexandar Georgiev. Both will have plenty of attention on them, and their coach knows it.

As alluded to earlier, it’s now official: the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars will meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dallas will have home-ice advantage, as Colorado cannot catch them. It will be very similar to when these two met in the second round last season, with the Avalanche eying a different result. We’ll have a more comprehensive breakdown in the week leading up to the postseason, but know this: it’s bound to be a hell of a playoff series. The entire Western Conference is a juggernaut, and one giant will fall early on in this matchup.

Next Game

Colorado still has one final regular-season game coming up, and it’s another quick turnaround. They’ll take a drive down I-5 to go up against the Anaheim Ducks. Puck drop on Sunday night is at 8:00 p.m. MT on ESPN.