One down, three more to go for the Avalanche.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s 2-1 win over the Kings in Game 1 on Saturday at Ball Arena.

Bednar willing to gamble

For about half a second, it looked like the Avalanche were going to take the 1-0 lead early in the second period, but Logan O’Connor’s goal was immediately waved off as Jack Drury bumped into goalie Anton Forsberg.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar decided to challenge, a risky move considering the call on the ice, and despite Drew Doughty being the main reason Drury ran into Forsberg, the call stood.

The Avalanche had to keep the Kings at bay after that, as that seemed to give them a bit of jump, but the home team was able to weather the storm.

The Kings controlled the game

Despite the Avalanche registering 31 more points than the Kings in the regular season, Los Angeles did exactly what it wanted to do at even strength. It slowed the game down and didn’t give Colorado any chance to attack off the rush.

That meant the Avalanche had to be patient, waiting for their opportunities and playing a bit more of a grimy game.

There might be a lot of that in this series.

Coach’s decision paid off

Ross Colton has never been a healthy scratch since arriving in Colorado in the summer of 2023, but he was for Game 1.

Bednar opted to move Parker Kelly up to the second line and put Joel Kiviranta on the fourth, leaving no room for Colton.

That fourth line might have been Colorado’s most consistent, frustrating the Kings, drawing a penalty and scoring a huge goal in the third period.

It’s important to remember that the Avalanche will almost certainly need Colton at some point during the postseason.

Remember their scratches during the first game of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs? Logan O’Connor and Alex Newhook, two guys who played a lot of hockey during that postseason.