- Logan O’Connor scored his first goal in more than a year during Game 1 against the Kings
- The winger had been out since June 2025 hip surgery and only returned to the lineup on March 24
- Read below for the full recap and video of O’Connor’s breakaway goal in Colorado’s 2-1 win
“Super happy to get it out of the way,” Logan O’Connor said.
The Avalanche winger needed a long time to get that one. He scored at 5:50 of the third period in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, his first goal in over a year. It pushed Colorado’s lead to 2-0 and gave the top-seeded Avalanche the breathing room they needed in a 2-1 win at Ball Arena.
O’Connor used his speed to charge through the zone. Jack Drury lifted the puck off the glass behind the Kings net, and O’Connor beat Cody Ceci to the loose change. He ripped a wrist shot short side over Anton Forsberg’s glove, then raised his arms as Ball Arena erupted.
His last NHL goal came before June 2025, when he underwent his second hip surgery in as many years. The original five-to-six month timeline got pushed back by soft-tissue setbacks, and he did not make it into a game until March 24.
“For us, our game translates well to playoffs. It’s a lot of simplicity and muck it up and just wear teams down,” O’Connor said. “It was nice to get that one out of the way and finish the job off tonight.”
Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring at 15:29 of the second, kicking a rebound off a Nathan MacKinnon shot onto his stick and firing it home. MacKinnon, fresh off becoming the first Avs player since Milan Hejduk to win the Rocket Richard, picked up the primary assist.
Scott Wedgewood stopped 24 shots in his first career playoff start, admitting to early nerves before settling in.
Artemi Panarin cut the lead to one with a power-play goal at 17:38 of the third, a wrist shot from the blue line through an Anze Kopitar screen. Colorado killed off the final 2:22 to close it out.
Game 2 is Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. Video of the O’Connor goal and the full Game 1 highlight reel is below.
