MacKinnon powers Avalanche to sweep; Kopitar retires after

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LOS ANGELES — Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals and added an assist as the top-seeded, Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche completed a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Kings with a 5-1 victory in Game 4 on Sunday. Cale Makar, Nicolas Roy and Devon Toews also scored, and Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves as Colorado advanced to the second round to face the winner of the Dallas–Minnesota series. Coach Jared Bednar praised his team's defensive commitment, saying players "bought into the way we needed to play the LA Kings" even though his lineup typically emphasizes offense. Colorado's win also marked the end of Kings captain Anze Kopitar's 20-year NHL career; Kopitar is the franchise's all-time leading scorer, a two-time Selke Trophy winner and a key player on Los Angeles' 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup teams. Fans repeatedly chanted "Kopi!" and gave him standing ovations on his final two shifts. Joel Edmundson scored for Los Angeles and goalie Anton Forsberg stopped 27 shots, but the loss eliminated the Kings, ending their fifth straight trip to the playoffs and extending a string of postseason defeats and first-round exits. MacKinnon's first goal of the playoffs came on a power play that snapped Colorado's 0-for-9 series mark with the man advantage, and he added an empty-netter to bring his playoff total to 57 goals in 99 career games.