The Los Angeles Kings are hanging tough with the Presidents’ Trophy-wielding Colorado Avalanche, yet they trail 2-0 in their Western Conference first-round playoff series as it shifts to the West Coast.

As the Kings prepare to host the Avalanche for Game 3 Thursday, they need to find a way to get over the hump against the regular-season champions to draw back into the best-of-seven series.

Both games were 2-1 finals, with the latest requiring Colorado to work overtime to win Tuesday.

“It’s tough, the way it ended, both games,” Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg said. “We’re right in there, playing well. We’re fighting, we’re fighting hard. Just got to stick with it and turn this around.”

The second loss stung on another level. Artemi Panarin’s power-play goal — his second in as many outings — opened the scoring with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation, but Colorado captain Gabe Landeskog tied the game with 3:35 left to set up Nicolas Roy’s winner 7:44 into extra time.

Los Angeles boasts a stout defensive game, but needs more offense from players not named Panarin. The Kings certainly had their chances in Game 2. Not only was Quinton Byfield denied on a second-period penalty shot, the Kings had opportunities in sudden-death.

“We had the momentum in overtime,” interim coach D.J. Smith said. “We were out-chancing them at that point and then maybe a bad bounce or a turnover, whatever, it ends up in your net. To a man, this team’s playing hard and we have to find a way to win, though.”

As for the Avalanche, they know having the upper hand at this point only means so much, especially if the Kings regroup and find a way to win their first two home games.

The Kings have been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in four consecutive years, so they’re giving everything they have to end that trend.

“Playoffs are going to be hard. It’s a really good team over there,” Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon said. “They’re playing hard. We’re playing hard. It’s low scoring, but it’s fun hockey. … Need to find a way to steal Game 3.”

Saying his team must “steal” a game sounds over the top considering how the Avalanche have been all season. They led the NHL during the regular season with 3.68 goals per game, so clearly they have yet to show their top offensive form — though the Kings (and Forsberg) deserve credit. Then again, Colorado was the league’s stingiest defensive team in the regular season, too, and coach Jared Bednar’s team has been showing why.

“We’ve been talking all year (about) the importance of the defending, and I’m happy with the commitment that we’re getting from our guys,” Bednar said. “I still think we got another step in our game that we can ramp up to. So we just got to go out and try to better our performances at home now on the road.”

Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood has shown his top-tier game. His save of Byfield’s penalty shot was highlight-reel worthy and he has stopped 48 of the 50 shots he has faced in this series.

Not bad for a 33-year-old who had zero Stanley Cup playoff victories — and zero postseason starts — on his resume until this series began.

“I think mentally, over my career, I’ve kind of been building my own scar tissue just trying to stay alive and stay in this league,” Wedgewood said. “So mentally, I feel like the playoffs are almost kind of what I’ve been putting the pressure on myself for to get here. It’s honestly felt like really fun hockey. Obviously, you know what’s at stake.”

–Field Level Media

The NBA announced Wednesday that San Antonio Spurs swingman Keldon Johnson has been voted the league’s Sixth Man of the Year by a 100-member global media panel.

The seventh-year veteran earned the John Havlicek Trophy for delivering 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 36.3% from 3-point range. He was the only player in the league to come off the bench in all 82 games.

“It’s a little emotional,” Johnson said on ESPN after he was revealed as the winner. “It’s a big accomplishment. A lot of hard work goes into an award like this.”

Johnson ranked as the No. 5 scorer and No. 4 rebounder on a squad that posted the league’s second-best record (62-20) during the regular season.

The 26-year-old Kentucky product has spent his entire NBA career with the Spurs after being drafted with the 29th overall pick in 2019. He joins Manu Ginobili (2007-08) as the only Spurs to be named Sixth Man of the Year.

During Johnson’s first four years in the league he was an everyday starter for the Spurs, starting in 205 of the 224 games he appeared in. But during his fifth season he started to embrace the role as a spark plug off the bench, which has paid dividends.

“I started for a long time,” Johnson said. “Now, it’s my time to come off the bench. I just continue to analyze the game, come off the bench, go in there and just do my thing.”

“I wanted to be part of something special here in San Antonio. I knew that in order for me to really be the best for our team that coming off the bench was probably my best possibility. At first, it was tough. I had to (control) my ego and put the team first. After that, the sky was the limit.”

Johnson received 63 of the 100 first-place votes and collected 404 points. The Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., claimed 34 first-place votes and finished second in the balloting with 331 points. Jaquez averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists while serving as a reserve in 74 of his 75 appearances this year.

Denver’s Tim Hardaway Jr. took third in the voting while Minnesota’s Naz Reid, Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart and New York’s Mitchell Robinson each received one first-place vote.

–Field Level Media

Josh Naylor singled home Cal Raleigh with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as the host Seattle Mariners defeated the Athletics 5-4 Wednesday afternoon to salvage the finale of a three-game series with their American League West rivals.

The A’s tied the score in the top of the inning on Nick Kurtz’s one-out homer to straightaway center off Mariners closer Andres Munoz (3-2), who blew the save opportunity but ended up getting the victory.

Raleigh, who homered for a third consecutive game, sparked the winning rally with a two-out single to center. He advanced to second as Julio Rodriguez grounded a single into left and scored on Naylor’s liner to left off Joel Kuhnel (0-1).

Raleigh and Naylor each went 3-for-5 as the Mariners collected a season-high 14 hits. Seattle starter Logan Gilbert allowed six hits and three runs over four innings while Athletics starter Aaron Civale also gave up six hits and three runs while going 5 1/3 innings.

The A’s took a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks, in part, to a unique hit by Carlos Cortes. Kurtz drew a leadoff walk and Shea Langeliers singled to right field, sending Kurtz to third. Cortes rifled a 107.8-mph liner up the middle that hit Gilbert in the midsection and lodged inside his jersey. After the umpires huddled, they ruled it a hit that loaded the bases.

After trainer Kyle Torgerson checked out Gilbert and gave him the green light to stay in the game, Tyler Soderstrom’s sacrifice fly to center drove in Kurtz and Jeff McNeil’s two-out single to center brought home Langeliers.

The Mariners got a run back in the bottom of the first as J.P. Crawford, Rodriguez and Naylor loaded the bases with singles to set up Randy Arozarena’s sacrifice fly to left.

Cortes reached on an infield single leading off the third and scored on Jacob Wilson’s one-out double to left to make it 3-1.

Raleigh led off the bottom of the frame with a homer to right off A’s starter Aaron Civale.

The Mariners made it 3-3 in the sixth after Naylor led off with a single to center. one out later, the A’s brought in Brady Basso to replace Civale. Pinch-hitter Mitch Garver greeted Basso with a RBI double to center.

Seattle took the lead off Mark Leiter Jr. in the seventh. Crawford grounded a one-out single into right and advanced as Raleigh’s sinking liner got past right fielder Cortes for a double. Crawford scored as Rodriguez grounded out to short.

–Field Level Media