After one in Denver: Kings 1, Avalanche 0

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The first period featured some thumping hits but no concerted pressure by either team. The Kings emerged with a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from an unlikely scorer—Rob Scuderi.

The veteran defenseman earned his first goal this season by converting the rebound of his own shot, at 12:26. Dustin Brown had made a good move to go to the net and was cross-checked for his troubles, though nothing was called. Anze Kopitar pounced on the puck and passed it back toward the right point, to Scuderi. Colorado goaltender Craig Anderson stopped Scuderi’s first effort but the rebound slid directly back to Scuderi. With Anderson in the middle of a crowd by the left post, Scuderi was able to slip the puck past a desperate defender from the top of the circle.

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick stopped seven Colorado shots.

As promised, left wing Marco Sturm made his Kings debut and played alongside Trevor Lewis and Alexei Ponikarovsky. He was credited with four minutes and 17 seconds’ ice time in five shifts.

We’ll have more later at www.latimes.com/sports
Helene Elliott in Denver