Then they really won them over with their play on the ice.

Gabriel Landeskog and David Jones scored 1:35 apart in the final period to help Colorado rally for a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night in the Avalanche’s home opener.

After the final horn, Colorado players skated around the rink and waved their sticks to salute the revved-up capacity crowd.

“It was unbelievable,” said Landeskog, the 20-year-old captain of Colorado. “I think this was the best crowd I’ve played in front of at the Pepsi Center. It just feels great. To be away for so long and to come back and to see so many fans here and how loud they were and how into it, I think it felt like they missed us just as much as we missed them.”

The fans certainly appreciated the offensive skills of P.A. Parenteau, the newest member of the Avalanche. Parenteau scored an insurance goal in the third period to help the team bounce back from a season opening loss in Minnesota.

Known for his passing, Parenteau showed he can find the net, too, especially when he’s left all alone.

“Anytime you can score your first goal in your first home game, that’s a good feeling,” said Parenteau, who had 18 goals and 49 assists with the New York Islanders last season. “As the game went on, we played a much better game.”

Kyle Clifford’s goal in the opening period gave the Kings their first lead of the season and, given the way Jonathan Quick was playing in net, looked like it just might hold up. Quick was turning back everything thrown at him.

That is, until Landeskog beat Quick with a shot off a rebound early in the third. That gave the Avalanche some much-needed momentum against one of the best goaltenders in the league.

Soon after, Jones followed by sending a wrist shot over Quick’s outstretched glove on a power play.

“We knew that if we kept pushing we were going to get one,” said Landeskog, who was presented the Calder Trophy at center ice before the game after being named the league’s top rookie last season. “And if we got one, we knew we could get more on Quick. He’s a good goalie, but we were pushing him all night it felt like.”

Precisely what Quick expected out of the youthful Avalanche.

“They play with a lot of pace so you expect that every shift,” Quick said.

Staked to a lead, Semyon Varlamov made it hold up as he finished with 28 saves.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Kings are winless two games into the season. They lost 5-2 to Chicago last weekend, dampening their banner-raising ceremony.

Any reason for concern, especially given the shortened season?

“I don’t worry,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “That doesn’t really solve much, does it?”

Los Angeles even had Anze Kopitar back in the lineup after he missed the season opener with a knee injury. Kopitar injured his knee shortly before the lockout ended in a collision while playing in Sweden. He has led Los Angeles in scoring in each of the last five seasons.

But Kopitar’s presence couldn’t help get the Kings’ offense on track. He didn’t have a shot on net in nearly 20 minutes of play.

Clifford gave the Kings the early lead off a rebound late in the first period. He set up the play, too, by dishing an outlet pass to Jordan Nolan, who lined a shot off Varlamov’s pads and straight to the stick of the hustling Clifford.

It could’ve been more, but the Avs killed off two penalties.

In an attempt to win back fans, the Avalanche released an apology letter before the game, saying the organization understands the frustration.

“We do not take lightly the responsibility of ensuring that your experience exceeds the level of passion and enthusiasm that you provide our sport, team and players on a daily basis,” the letter read.

It was signed by team governor Josh Kroenke, general manager Greg Sherman, coach Joe Sacco and Landeskog.

The team also played a “welcome back” video for the fans and gave out gifts such as season tickets.

But a win, well, that was the best makeup present the Avs could’ve given.

“They were waiting for something good to happen,” Sacco said. “It took us a little over one period to do that. But once that happened you could feel the electricity in the building. It was fun for our guys again to play in front of their home fans.”

Game notes

Los Angeles placed defenseman Matt Greene (back) on injured reserve Monday. … Avs F Steve Downie left the game in the second period with a knee injury. … Avs F Matt Duchene took a puck off the chin but still played after trainers stitched up the cut.

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After No. 1 Duke lost to North Carolina State a day earlier, the Wolverines were in prime position to ascend to No. 1 for the first time since November 1992. Instead, they went home with their first loss, also depriving them of the best start in school history.

“Some go in and some don’t,” said Burke, a sophomore who just happens to be from Columbus and is friends with several of the Buckeyes. “I thought it was going in. It looked good. I think it went in and then came out.”

Michigan (16-1, 3-1 Big Ten) trailed 52-50 and had the ball as the seconds sifted away. Everyone in a hoarse, capacity crowd of 18,809 knew that Burke, a star at Columbus’ Northland High School where he was a teammate of former Buckeye Jared Sullinger, would likely take the last shot.

Aaron Craft — whom Michigan coach John Beilein said was as good as any defender he had ever seen — prevented Burke from driving. His path blocked, Burke jumped back and then launched the shot.

“We were up two, so that makes it a little more challenging for me,” said Craft, selected as the Big Ten’s top defender a year ago. “Fortunately enough for me, that shot he took rimmed in and out. I kind of turned around (and saw) we grabbed the rebound.”

Lenzelle Smith Jr. grabbed the rebound. A moment later he was fouled again and hit two free throws for breathing room. Craft, who had struggled on offense most of the season, then made two more foul shots to more than offset Burke’s circus 3-pointer with a second left.

The Buckeyes had done most of their offensive damage early, following Burke’s opening 3-pointer with a 16-0 run that was started and ended with baskets by Deshaun Thomas, who led the Buckeyes (13-3, 3-1) with 20 points. From there on, it was just a matter of whether Ohio State — which had blown a late lead at Duke in November — could hold off the Wolverines, who came in averaging 81 points a game with four starters in double figures.

Burke led Michigan, which was trying to exceed the 16-0 start of the 1985-86 team, with 15 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 12. Down 21 points in the first half, Michigan kept chipping away.

The Wolverines switched defenses, causing the Buckeyes problems with matchup zones. Eventually, Glenn Robinson III flipped in a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie it at 46 with just under 6 minutes left.

The Buckeyes regained some momentum when Shannon Scott fed post player Evan Ravenel for a dunk to regain the lead. On the next possession, Ohio State went inside again and Ravenel, averaging 6.3 points a game, bulled his way for another basket.

After another Michigan missed shot, Thomas took a pass on the left baseline and made a quick spin to the end line before banking in a shot for a 52-46 lead.

The Wolverines missed six straight field goal attempts down the stretch, going scoreless for more than 4 minutes until Burke hit two free throws with 1:37 left to cut the lead to 52-48.

A steal and dunk by Robinson made it 52-50 with 1:16 left, setting up the potential tying shot by Burke, who grew up a rabid fan of the Buckeyes but wasn’t recruited by coach Thad Matta because he already had Craft and was close to signing Scott to play point.

“He got a heck of a look at it,” Matta said of Burke’s shot.

The Buckeyes have been at their best against their worst opponents, and vice versa. They came into the game 12-0 vs. unranked teams and 0-3 against those in the Top 25. But after what even the players called an up-and-down season, they came up especially big against their most heated opponent.

After Craft had discounted the possibility that the Buckeyes drew any extra incentive by wanting to prevent their archrivals from taking over the top spot in the polls, Ravenel spoke up.

“There’s always satisfaction in denying Michigan the No. 1 spot in the country,” he said with a wide grin.

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