The Colorado Avalanche are one game away from a sweep as they prepare to face the Los Angeles Kings on the road for Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series Sunday.

However, don’t mistake the chance for a sweep as the Avalanche dominating the Kings. The first two games in Denver were 2-1 games, and in Game 2, the Avalanche needed a goal from Gabriel Landeskog with 3:35 left in regulation to force overtime.

Thursday’s Game 3 in Los Angeles was another tight affair that Colorado pulled out 4-2 thanks to a Brock Nelson’s empty-netter sealing the win with 2:18 left.

Colorado will likely be down a key player Sunday. Sturdy defenseman Josh Manson took a hit from Joel Edmundson with about 90 seconds in the first period Thursday. He tried to play in the second period, but exited for good with 12 minutes left in the period.

On Saturday, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters that Manson was still sore and unlikely to play Sunday.

Manson has two assists in the series, including a helper on Landeskog’s Game 3 goal. Both Manson and fellow blueliner Devon Toews share the lead in assists for Colorado in the series.

Forward Artturi Lehkonen leads Colorado with three points on two goals and an assist. He scored a short-handed goal with less than 13 minutes left in Thursday’s game to give the Avalanche a 3-1 lead.

On Friday, Kings coach D.J. Smith told reporters there would be some changes to the lineup. However, Smith said there would not be any drastic moves, with maybe a couple new faces and possibly reconfiguring the top two lines.

“Honestly, they get a bounce on the first goal,” Smith said. “If we get a bounce, we’re sitting here with a different story. So, I think you got to stick with what you’re doing. You just got to do it better, longer and harder.”

The Kings, who scored the fourth-fewest goals (220) in the regular season, have been led by Artemi Panarin. The forward acquired in early February from the New York Rangers has two of the team’s four goals in the series. He shares the lead in points with Alex Laferriere, who has three assists.

The closeness of the games should not come as a surprise. Colorado, which allowed the fewest goals (197), and Los Angeles, which allowed the seventh-fewest (238), are in one of only two first-round series that feature both teams ranked in the top seven in goals allowed.

Colorado also led the league in goals scored (298). However, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Cale Makar, who all averaged better than a point per game in the regular season, have so far been held to just three points combined in the series. Makar, a defenseman, has the only goal amongst the trio.

Each playoff series presents a different challenge, Bednar told reporters Saturday. This series has put the defense to the test, which he said it has passed, but the coach said the Avalanche’s best game this series could be yet to come.

“For all we know, if you’re fortunate to move on, this can be the best defending team that we play in the whole entire playoffs,” he said. “You have to be prepared to hit the ground running and play the way you need to play right away without having any lapses.”

–Field Level Media

The Canadiens look to build a commanding lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 Sunday night in Montreal.

Lane Hutson’s goal at 2:09 of overtime in Game 3 Friday night gave the Canadiens a 3-2 win and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. They now look to move within a game of advancing before the series shifts back to Tampa Bay for Game 5.

All three games between No. 2 seed Tampa Bay and No. 3 seed Montreal have ended in overtime with the teams alternating wins.

“I just believe in our system, all my teammates and coaching staff,” Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky said after an optional practice on Saturday. “I feel like we’re all prepared for any scenario. I feel like if we play our way and we have the puck a lot, we’re good defensively. I feel like we can for sure win again (Sunday).”

Alexandre Texier and Kirby Dach each had a goal and an assist, Zachary Bolduc had two assists and Jakub Dobes made 15 saves for the Canadiens.

Dach tied the game 2-2 at 12:43 of the second period.

“We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be, for sure,” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “Giving up breakaways and odd-mans, we haven’t done a lot of that in this series, but tonight it certainly got away from us defensively.”

Lane Hutson became the third Canadiens’ defenseman to score a playoff overtime goal in the past 25 years and the first since Jeff Petry in 2020.

The Canadiens have put themselves in a strong position without much production from their top line. Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Slafkovsky have no points during 5-on-5 play over the first three games. Slafkovsky had a power-play hat trick in Game 1, and Caufield and Suzuki each have three assists, all coming with the man advantage.

“There’s a lot of talk and a lot of pressure we put on ourselves to go out there and perform and do the best we can,” Suzuki said of Game 3. “But we had good looks all night. And Cole almost ended it in overtime.”

Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel scored for the Lightning in Game 3. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves, including three on Montreal breakaways.

“We’re three games in now. I think we’ve got a pretty good feel for each other, we have a pretty good feel for what the environment’s like in this building,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “But our execution has to be (better). We have to elevate now.”

Hagel has scored in all three games and has five points (four goals, one assist) in the series.

After outshooting the Canadiens 57-46 in the first two games of the series, the Lightning were outshot 29-17 on Friday night.

“We’re definitely still in the series, but the next one’s so important,” Point said. “We know we can be better. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes here tonight, and we’ve got to show better next game.”

Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman, who has taken a leave of absence for personal reasons, took part in the team’s optional practice on Saturday, but is not expected to return during this series.

–Field Level Media

Karl Anthony-Towns totaled 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career playoff triple-double as the New York Knicks earned a 114-98 victory over the host Atlanta Hawks and evened their Eastern Conference first-round series at two games apiece on Saturday night.

Towns ensured Game 5 on Tuesday in New York will not be an elimination game for the Knicks and also ensured the series returns to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday.

Towns posted his fifth career triple-double in any game. He also notched the seventh postseason triple-double in New York’s history and joined Dick McGuire, Walt Frazier and Josh Hart as the fourth player with a postseason triple-double in team history.

Towns secured his 10th rebound when he grabbed a missed jumper by Jalen Brunson and converted the putback in the final seconds of the third to give the Knicks an 86-65 lead into the fourth quarter. The center recorded his 10th assist by finding OG Anunoby for an open corner 3 to put the Knicks up 90-66 with 10:46 left.

Anunoby led the Knicks with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth career playoff double-double. Jalen Brunson added 19, including a 3 as the shot clock was expiring for a 104-80 lead with 5:26 left.

Miles McBridge chipped in 11 off the bench while Hart collected 10 points and nine rebounds. Mikal Bridges remained in the starting lineup after going scoreless in Game 3 and contributed eight points.

The Knicks shot 49.4%, made 14 of 31 3-pointers (45.2%) and led for the final 42:40.

CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 17 points but was held to three points after halftime. McCollum shot 8-of-15 but missed four of five shots in the second half.

Nickell Alexander-Walker added 15 and hit five 3s, but the Hawks were a dreadful 10 of 41 (24.4%) from behind the arc.

Jalen Johnson finished with 14 but shot 4 of 12. Onyeka Okongwu contributed 12, but Dyson Daniels was held to six points.

Atlanta shot 41.5% and conceded 21 points off 19 turnovers

Brunson was 3 of 10 in the opening quarter, but the Knicks clamped down defensively and held Atlanta to 36.8% (7 of 19) shooting en route to a 27-20 lead.

The Knicks took their first double-digit lead when Bridges was credited with a basket due to a goaltending call on Atlanta a little over a minute into the second. Brunson returned with 7:31 left and his open 3 pushed the lead to 41-29 with 6:56 remaining.

New York took a trio of 16-point leads in the final minutes of the second quarter and held a 58-44 lead by halftime. Atlanta cut the lead to 61-53 on a basket by Okongwu with 8:26 left, and the Knicks countered by scoring 11 straight points with Brunson on the bench.

–Field Level Media