When Nathan MacKinnon jumps over the boards, the Los Angeles Kings have only seconds to make the right defensive decision. Do they counter with Anze Kopitar’s veteran matchup line? Do they trust Phillip Danault’s defensive group against Colorado’s most dangerous attackers? Or do they create enough offensive pressure that the Avalanche’s stars spend more time defending than attacking? Those choices will define the tactical battle before the biggest shots ever reach the net.
The Kings-Avalanche matchup is not simply about Colorado’s explosive offense versus Los Angeles’ defensive identity. It is about whether Kings coach Jim Hiller can create enough difficult minutes for MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen to prevent Colorado from controlling the game at five-on-five. Colorado enters with one of the NHL’s most dangerous offensive cores. MacKinnon finished the 2025-26 regular season with 53 goals, while Makar continued to drive offense from the blue line as one of hockey’s most dynamic defensemen. The Avalanche’s top players can turn a single defensive mistake into an immediate scoring chance.
Los Angeles has a different challenge. The Kings do not need to eliminate those players. No team can. They need to control when those players receive their best opportunities.
The Kopitar assignment: slowing down Colorado’s biggest weapon
Every opponent faces the same question against Colorado: who gets Nathan MacKinnon?
For Los Angeles, that responsibility begins with Anze Kopitar. The veteran center has spent his career accepting difficult defensive assignments, and his value has always extended beyond offensive production. Kopitar reads plays early, wins important faceoffs, and understands how to slow down elite opponents before they reach dangerous areas.
During the 2025-26 season, Kopitar won 56.9 percent of his faceoffs, giving Los Angeles a reliable possession weapon when it needs control against elite competition. That ability becomes especially important against Colorado because the matchup battle begins immediately after the puck drops.
A defensive-zone faceoff win can allow the Kings to execute a clean breakout and avoid extended pressure. A lost draw can put MacKinnon’s line into attack mode before Los Angeles has time to establish its defensive structure. The Kings cannot completely stop MacKinnon, but they can make every shift against him more difficult.
MacKinnon creates problems because he forces defenders into uncomfortable choices. Give him space, and he attacks. Commit too early, and he finds open teammates. Allow him to enter the offensive zone with speed, and Colorado’s entire attack becomes more dangerous. Kopitar’s job is not to erase that talent. It is to reduce how often Colorado can use it.
Colorado’s offense creates pressure before the final shot
The Avalanche do not need endless scoring chances. They need a few moments where their skill takes over.
MacKinnon creates the first wave with his acceleration through the neutral zone. Rantanen extends possessions through strength and puck protection. Makar adds another layer because he can create offense from the blue line instead of waiting for plays to develop. That combination forces opponents to defend every option at once.
Focus too heavily on MacKinnon, and Rantanen finds space. Collapse toward the forwards, and Makar attacks from the point. Back away from the rush, and Colorado enters the offensive zone with speed.
The Kings experienced that challenge during their 2026 playoff matchup against Colorado. The Avalanche swept Los Angeles in four games, finishing the series with a 5-1 victory in Game 4 as MacKinnon scored twice and added an assist, while Makar also scored. Colorado did not win because of one spectacular sequence. The Avalanche won because they repeatedly created situations where their best players could attack.
Los Angeles must change those situations.
Danault’s line gives Los Angeles another defensive option
Kopitar cannot absorb every difficult minute against Colorado’s elite forwards. That is where Phillip Danault becomes one of the Kings’ most important players.
Danault gives Los Angeles another center capable of handling defensive responsibilities against top competition. His game is built around positioning, puck pressure, and making opponents work through every possession. Against Colorado, those minutes become valuable because the Avalanche can overwhelm teams that rely on only one shutdown matchup.
The Kings need multiple lines capable of surviving difficult shifts. A successful defensive sequence does not always create a highlight. Instead, it may mean Colorado enters the offensive zone without speed, forcing the Avalanche to reset their attack. A strong shift could also force Makar to retreat and restart the breakout or leave MacKinnon heading back to the bench without creating a dangerous chance.
Those small victories accumulate throughout the night. The biggest mistake against Colorado is allowing one difficult shift to become three.
Makar creates a separate challenge from the blue line
Stopping MacKinnon is only one part of the assignment. Cale Makar creates a different problem because he attacks from a position most teams expect to remain defensive.
Traditional defensive systems focus heavily on controlling forwards near the slot and limiting passing lanes. Against Makar, teams must also account for a defenseman who can carry the puck through pressure, join the rush, and create scoring opportunities himself.
The Kings cannot simply chase him. If Los Angeles pressures too aggressively, Makar can use his skating ability to escape and create space behind the forecheck. If the Kings give him too much time, he can control the offensive zone and wait for a passing lane to appear.
The solution requires discipline. Los Angeles must close options without losing its defensive shape. That balance will determine whether Colorado spends the night attacking or constantly restarting possessions.
The faceoff battle could decide the first wave of pressure
Line matching begins with possession. A coach cannot create the matchup he wants if his team cannot control the puck after the whistle.
That makes Kopitar’s 56.9 percent faceoff success rate during the 2025-26 season especially important. His ability to win critical draws gives Los Angeles opportunities to start shifts on its own terms.
Those moments shape the entire flow of a game. Colorado wants immediate possession that becomes transition offense. Los Angeles wants controlled possessions that allow its defensive structure to settle. The team that wins those first battles often controls where the game is played.
Special teams could change everything
The five-on-five matchup will receive most of the attention, but special teams could decide the outcome.
Colorado’s power play gives MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen exactly what elite offensive players want: time and space. The Kings cannot afford unnecessary penalties because a defensive plan that works at even strength becomes much harder when Colorado can place its best attackers on the ice against a tired penalty kill.
Los Angeles also needs its own power play to create pressure. Forcing Colorado’s stars into defensive responsibilities can reduce their energy for later offensive shifts. Against a team with this much offensive talent, every extra minute matters.
Hiller and Bednar are fighting the adjustment battle
The opening matchup is only the beginning. NHL games constantly change. Coaches adjust. Players adapt. Lines move depending on momentum and fatigue.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar has built a team comfortable responding to different challenges, while Hiller must find ways to prevent the Avalanche from dictating the rhythm. The biggest adjustment may happen during a quiet moment: a coach notices a problem, a line changes, and a defensive pairing steps onto the ice.
Suddenly, the entire flow of the game changes.
That is the hidden battle inside this matchup.
The team that controls the matchups controls the night
Colorado has the offensive talent to overwhelm almost any opponent. Los Angeles has the defensive intelligence to make those weapons uncomfortable.
The deciding factor will come from execution. Kopitar’s line must find a way to limit MacKinnon’s impact, while Danault’s group needs to survive the toughest defensive minutes. Just as important, Los Angeles must prevent Makar from controlling the blue line and dictating Colorado’s offensive rhythm. Those matchup battles will determine whether the Kings can slow down one of the NHL’s most dangerous attacks.
Those answers will define the game.
The scoreboard will show the winner.
The line combinations will explain why.
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FAQs
Q1. Who will the Kings use against Nathan MacKinnon?
A. The Kings will likely rely on Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault to handle difficult minutes against Colorado’s top offensive players.
Q2. Why is line matching important in Kings vs Avalanche?
A. Line matching helps Los Angeles control when Colorado’s best players receive their biggest scoring opportunities.
Q3. How does Cale Makar affect the matchup?
A. Makar creates extra pressure because he can generate offense from the blue line and join Colorado’s attacks.
Q4. What makes Anze Kopitar valuable defensively?
A. Kopitar combines defensive awareness, faceoff ability, and experience against elite NHL centers.
Q5. What could decide the Kings-Avalanche game?
A. The matchup may come down to defensive assignments, possession battles, and which team controls the toughest minutes.
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