LOS ANGELES — You’re never in trouble in a series until you lose at home.

With a 2-0 lead, the Avalanche have a chance to take a stranglehold on their series against the Kings in enemy territory Thursday.

Here are three keys to a third-straight win for the Avalanche.

1. When the Avalanche scored 24 goals in just five games on Connor Hellebuyck during the first round in 2024, they did so with a lot of screens and deflections. Anton Forsberg has played very well through two games of this series, but there’s a good argument to be made that the Avalanche haven’t made life difficult enough for him. While the Kings deserve a lot of credit for not letting the Avalanche get in Forsberg’s face, Colorado has another gear it can hit. Nicolas Roy’s overtime winner in Game 2 is an example of what they must do more as the series moves to Los Angeles.
2. Where has March’s power play gone? The Avalanche are 0 for 7 with the man advantage this series and nearly gave up a shorthanded goal in Game 2. The power play dipped a bit down the stretch as players were in and out of the lineup, but they’re fully healthy now and need to take advantage of a Kings’ penalty kill that struggled all season. One thing that would help: Don’t take penalties of your own while you’re on the power play. Two of Colorado’s three power plays in Game 2 were short-lived because they took a penalty to even things up.
3. Only three teams had fewer wins on home ice during the regular season than the Kings. On the flip side, the Avalanche were far and away the best team in the league on the road. This is an opportunity for the Avalanche to flex their muscles away from Ball Arena, something they did a lot of this season. D.J. Smith will have control of the matchups, but coach Jared Bednar seems comfortable putting out any of his lines against the Kings’ top guys. Nothing against noted Kings fan Will Ferrell, but this is a great opportunity for the Avalanche to send him home disappointed Thursday.