The Calgary Flames came back to home ice looking for a reset, and for one period they at least looked the part. After that, the game tilted hard the wrong way.
Colorado left Calgary with a 7-3 win, and the Flames dropped to 0-4-0 on the season. The opening frame was steady enough. Calgary defended reasonably well, kept the Avalanche from running wild, and even got a nice response after falling behind.
The first goal belonged to Colorado. Late in the period, the Flames got stuck in their own zone, the Avalanche worked the puck around, and Cale Makar delivered a sharp slap-pass to the front of the net. Devon Toews got a piece of it and redirected it in for a 1-0 lead.
Calgary answered before the intermission. On a broken play through the neutral zone, Zachary L’Heureux went down at the Calgary blueline, Jonathan Castagna slipped a clean chip pass past him, and Adam Klapka jumped into a rush chance. Klapka took it toward the middle and fired high over Scott Wedgewood to tie it 1-1.
The Flames actually led the shot count after 20 minutes, 8-6.
Then the second period happened.
Colorado came out of a good Calgary penalty kill and pinned the Flames’ fourth line in the defensive end. The Avalanche kept the puck alive, threw it toward the net again, and another Toews point shot found its way through traffic and in behind Devin Cooley for a 2-1 lead.
Not long after that, Cale Makar added to it. He carried the puck in off the rush and sent a shot on Cooley that seemed to catch the goalie awkwardly in close before slipping over the pads and in to make it 3-1.
Calgary’s problems snowballed from there. After a Martin Pospisil turnover in the Colorado zone, the Flames spent close to two minutes trapped in their own end while the Avalanche piled up chances. Nathan MacKinnon eventually blasted a one-timer from the point to push the lead to 4-1.
Matt Coronato and Zachary L’Heureux also dropped the gloves late in the period, and it was a decent fight.
The Avalanche kept pulling away in the third. MacKinnon nearly scored on a rush at full speed, Colorado recovered the puck, worked it back to the point, and Makar ripped another one past Cooley for 5-1. Jaden Schwartz made it 6-1 a little later.
Calgary showed some push near the end. Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl each scored as the third period wound down, trimming the gap to 6-3. But Schwartz answered with his second of the period when a puck bounced in off Jake Middleton to make it 7-3.
Colorado closed it out from there.
The Flames’ best stretch came early, and they did enough in the first period to build something on. They rolled their lines, killed off a too-many-men penalty, and generally looked organized.
But the second period unraveled the night. The puck management slipped, the coverage got loose, and the breakouts didn’t hold up.
Calgary wasn’t overwhelmed from start to finish, but it never found enough in that middle frame to stay in the fight.
There was still some life in the third, though, and the Flames did battle back late.
Mikael Backlund earned the Red Warrior nod after scoring, leading the team in shots, and staying noticeable throughout the game. Joel Farabee and Adam Klapka also drew praise for solid nights.
The biggest swing came when Colorado scored twice in about two and a half minutes in the second period. That stretch gave the Avalanche control and left Calgary chasing the rest of the way.
The Flames lineup featured Matvei Gridin, Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato on the top line, with Yegor Sharangovich, Backlund and Joel Farabee behind them. Sam Honzek centered Martin Pospisil and Ryan Strome, while Aydar Suniev skated with Castagna and Klapka.
On defense, Kevin Bahl and Zach Whitecloud were paired together, with Jake Middleton and Zayne Parekh on the next pair and Yan Kuznetsov with Simon Nemec. Devin Cooley started in net with Dustin Wolf backing up.
Joel Hanley, Maxim Tsyplakov and Brennan Othmann were the healthy extras, and Jonathan Huberdeau missed the game with an injury.
Castagna made his first NHL appearance, while Backlund skated in his 1,152nd NHL game.
The Flames are back on the ice Saturday night against the Anaheim Ducks in a late game on Sportsnet’s Saturday Night Hockey.
In Other News...
Flames Shake Up Lineup As Pressure Builds Before Avalanche Test
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Calgary is also turning to Devin Cooley in goal for the Avalanche test, a decision that puts added attention on a game already carrying some weight as the pressure builds. With middle-six forwards shuffled around and the back end adjusted as well, the Flames are clearly trying to find a combination that can steady things against one of the leagues tougher opponents. The question now is whether those changes give them enough structure to hang with Colorado. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Ugly Start Could Force Craig Conroy Into His Next Move
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Patrik Laine is one of the names on the board, and the Flames are also in conversation with other veteran forwards who could add some finishing touch to a lineup that has struggled to create it. The sense around the team is that Conroy may not wait long if the current group does not start to produce, with a short-term addition looming as a real possibility if Calgarys internal options fail to spark the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Rumors Suddenly Point To A Much More Realistic Upgrade
The trade chatter around Detroit has started to drift away from the more sensational names and toward a possibility that feels far more grounded. Pierre LeBrun has downplayed the speculation tying Dylan Larkin to Florida, especially with Aleksander Barkov expected back in six to eight weeks, and that has shifted some of the focus to other options around the league. Among the clubs keeping an eye on the market are the Flames and Red Wings, both of whom have shown interest in Patrik Laine as they look for ways to add offense without paying the price that comes with a true blockbuster.
Laine remains unsigned despite drawing contact from multiple teams, which keeps the door open for a move if the right situation emerges. For Calgary, the appeal is obvious, but the timing matters just as much as the talent, with the organization watching how its younger players perform before deciding how aggressive to get. Around the league, there is also a separate goaltending thread involving Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets, but for the Flames the bigger question is whether this becomes the kind of measured upgrade that fits their timeline. [Read more 🡒]