Avalanche Stadium Series postgame: The setting was great, the performance not so much

AIR FORCE ACADEMY – Everybody came for a party. They got one here, all right, with incredible scenery, good weather, a Sam Hunt performance, an F-16 fighter jet and plenty of fireworks.

The only people who didn’t seem too enthused or energized were the Colorado Avalanche, who gave a sleepy performance in a 3-1 loss to the last-place team in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings. A sellout crowd of 43,574 got to see one goal by the NHL’s highest-scoring team. They were seeing a 1-1 game with under a minute to go in regulation, but Tyler Toffoli scored two goals in that final minute – completing the hat trick – as the Avs kicked away another winnable game, blowing another chance at climbing to the top of the conference.