KINGS ROUTED BY COLORADO L.A. DROPS 1ST GAME OF SEASON COLORADO 4, KINGS 1.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

The home team was undefeated, the other winless.

Not anymore.

This, after all, is just the beginning of the season, and the Kings were playing the Colorado Avalanche, who finished them off the past two years.

Thursday night's 4-1 loss in front of 18,118 at Staples Center ended when the Avs' Peter Forsberg scored the second of his two goals midway through the third period. It was Forsberg who returned from season-long injuries last year to beat up the Kings in a seven-game playoff thriller won by the Avs.

This time, the Kings were playing without Ziggy Palffy, who is out with strained groin. Add that to a first-period knee injury to winger Bryan Smolinski and the Kings looked like a team in the second night of back-to-back games.

In addition to Forsberg, Adam Foote and Joe Sakic scored for the Avs. Eric Belanger scored for the Kings, whose 3-0-0 start was their best since going 4-0-3 to open the 1995-96 season.

The turning point came midway through the third period of a tie game when Avs defenseman Adam Foote was whistled for boarding. The Kings had several excellent scoring chances against Avs goaltender Patrick Roy.

But moments later, Brad Larson chipped the puck out of the Colorado zone. Foote jumped out of the penalty box and skated in on Kings goaltender Felix Potvin. It was his first goal of the year.

Two minutes later, it was Forsberg, who took a pass from Sakic, skated around Potvin - who stopped 28 of 32 shots - and tucked in between the post and his left leg.

The Avalanche, who many consider the favorite to win its second Stanley Cup in three years, started slowly with just two goals in its first two games (0-1-1).

Part of it might be the training-camp deal that sent top young forward Chris Drury to Calgary in return for defenseman Derek Morris. Drury had at least 20 goals in each of his first four NHL seasons.

But the Avs caught a break early when Kings center Brad Chartrand was whistled for a bad roughing penalty in the Colorado zone.

The Avs set up the power play with former King Rob Blake on the point. As the crowd booed, he unloaded his signature blast that struck Potvin in the chest. The puck popped out and Forsberg scored on the rebound. Morris also had an assist on the play.

Colorado kept the pressure on and held Jason Allison, the Kings' leading scorer, without a shot in the first two periods. It helped that Palffy missed his second consecutive game with a groin strain. And Smolinski, who scored in Wednesday's victory at Anaheim, left the game in the first period after taking a knee-to-knee hit from Larsen.

The Avs had another solid scoring chance at the 6:01 mark of the second period, when Adam Deadmarsh was sent off for holding the stick of Serge Aubinat at 6:01 of the second period.

But Ian Laperriere, playing in place of Smolinski on the second line, batted down a pass in the Avs' zone and skated in on Roy.

Laperriere then made a cross-ice pass in front to Belanger, who tied the game 1-1.

Although the Avs held a 13-8 shot advantage, the Kings nearly got out of the second period with the lead.

Colorado already had Foote in the penalty box when Blake was called for tripping Allison.

The Kings had the NHL's leading power play last season but could not take capitalize on 55 seconds of a five-on-three advantage. Allison came closest, taking a pass from Deadmarsh to the right of Roy but firing the puck just wide.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Kings' Mikko Eloranta falls on the ice next to Colorado's Greg de Vries (7) during L.A.'s 4-1 loss Thursday at Staples Center.

(2) The Kings' Alexander Frolov (24) tries to get a shot off during L.A.'s 4-1 loss to Colorado on Thursday.

Edna T. Simpson/Daily News