After a long off-season, we have finally come to a point where hockey matters. Tuesday night will be the season opener for both the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings. The expectations for both the Avalanche and the Kings are high this season. The Avalanche lost in the first round, while the Kings were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers. Games between the two teams have always been fun, especially to start the season. The Avalanche will enter the game with the fourth-best opening night record at 27–12–7.

Colorado Avalanche (0–0–0)

The Avalanche will head into the season for the first time in three years with their captain Gabriel Landeskog in tow. This will be his first regular season contest since March 10, 2022, or 1,307 days. The big news for the Avalanche is that rookies Zakhar Bardakov and Gavin Brindley have made the opening night roster. Both were fighting for the last spots, and Brindley has become a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, Colorado’s starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood did not travel with the team, allowing for Scott Wedgewood to get the start. The Avalanche have a deep team this year and hope to do something with their captain on the bench with them.

Projected Lines

Artturi Lehkonen (62) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Martin Necas (88)
Gabriel Landeskog (92) – Brock Nelson (11) – Valeri Nichushkin (13)
Ross Colton (20) – Jack Drury (18) – Victor Olofsson (95)
Joel Kiviranta (94) – Parker Kelly (17) – Gavin Brindley (54)

Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Samuel Girard (49)  – Josh Manson (42)
Sam Malinski (70) – Brent Burns (84)

Scott Wedgewood (41)
Trent Miner (50)

Los Angeles Kings (0–0–0)

The Kings met bad news before their training camp even began this year. Three weeks ago, forward Corey Perry injured his knee during routine training and required surgery. Their captain, Anže Kopitar, has announced that he will retire at the end of the season, therefore starting his farewell tour. We can expect our friend Darcy Kuemper to get the start for the Kings, facing his former Stanley Cup champion team.

Projected Lines

Andrei Kuzmenko (96) – Anze Kopitar (11) – Adrian Kempe (9)
Kevin Fiala (22) – Quinton Byfield (55) – Alex Laferriere (14)
Trevor Moore (12) – Phillip Danault (24) – Warren Foegele (37)
Jeff Malott (39) – Alex Turcotte (15) – Joel Armia (40)

Mikey Anderson (44) – Drew Doughty (8)
Brian Dumoulin (2)  – Brandt Clarke (92)
Joel Edmundson (6) – Cody Ceci (5)

Darcy Kuemper (35)
Anton Forsberg (1)

Game Details

Time: 8:30 p.m. MT

Watch: ESPN

Listen: Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM