The Colorado Avalanche got the kind of night they were looking for Saturday at Ball Arena.
They beat the Calgary Flames 5-2, with Cale Makar piling up four assists, Artturi Lehkonen scoring twice, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas also finding the net, and Mackenzie Blackwood turning aside 25 of 27 shots. For a team trying to settle into a rhythm, it was a big response.
Colorado is now 8-5-1, with back-to-back wins and three victories in its last four games.
Makar was at the center of everything. The Norris Trophy winner kept driving the offense, setting up MacKinnon and Lehkonen and finishing the night as the game’s first star. It was the kind of all-around attacking performance that shows why he matters so much to this group, especially with Josh Manson sidelined.
Lehkonen kept his scoring run rolling, too. His two-goal night pushed his point streak to nine games and gave him 12 goals on the season. That kind of steady production gives Colorado another weapon every night, and it was on full display against Calgary.
The Avalanche spread the scoring around beyond their top names. MacKinnon opened the scoring in the first period, Necas cashed in on the power play early in the second after taking a cross-ice feed from Nazem Kadri, and Brock Nelson made it 4-0 midway through the second by redirecting Gabriel Landeskog’s centering pass.
That balance mattered. It meant Calgary couldn’t just key on MacKinnon and hope the rest of Colorado’s attack would go quiet.
The Flames did make things interesting for a stretch. After Colorado built a 4-0 lead, Calgary answered with two goals early in the third period to cut it to 4-2. Martin Pospisil’s goal came about two minutes into the final frame, but the Avalanche steadied themselves and shut the door from there.
Blackwood played a major part in keeping that push from turning into something bigger. His 25-save night included several key stops, and his first-period glove save on Matt Coronato stood out as one of the game’s best moments. When Calgary tried to build momentum, he kept finding answers.
Colorado put the game away when Lehkonen scored again at 4:09 of the third, redirecting Makar’s point shot past Arsenii Sergeev to restore the three-goal cushion.
It wasn’t a flawless night. Giving up two goals after going ahead 4-0 is the kind of stretch that will get attention inside the room. But the Avalanche didn’t let the game slip, and they got exactly the kind of result they needed.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Have A Contract Question They Can't Ignore
Artturi Lehkonen has turned his contract year into one of the Avalanches early-season bright spots, and it is hard to miss why. Through the opening stretch, he has been scoring at a level that has him tied for second in the NHL goals race, while Jared Bednar has pointed to the same things Colorado has valued from him all along: the steady habits, direct style and consistency that keep his game effective night after night.
Lehkonen, for his part, has stayed on message and kept the focus where the Avalanche want it, on the team rather than the individual numbers. Still, when a player is producing like this in a contract year, it naturally raises the stakes for Colorado, which now has to weigh what his current form means for the bigger picture as the season develops. [Read more 🡒]
Blackwood Is Giving The Avalanche A Reason To Believe Again
MacKenzie Blackwood has given the Avalanche something they have been searching for amid an uneven start to the season: a dependable last line of defense. His save on Matt Coronato late in the first period helped preserve a 1-0 lead and underscored why Colorado has leaned on him so heavily when the rest of the team has been less consistent.
Blackwoods presence has changed the tone around the crease, and it has even sparked outside chatter about whether he belongs in the Vezina Trophy conversation. For a club trying to steady itself, that kind of impact matters beyond one highlight stop, because it gives Colorado a chance to stay in games while the rest of the roster sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Peter Forsberg Left Avalanche Fans With One Massive What If
Peter Forsbergs Avalanche career remains one of the great blends of brilliance and frustration in franchise history. In 708 NHL games, he helped Colorado win two Stanley Cups and collected the Hart, Art Ross and Calder Trophies, all while bringing the kind of scoring touch and physical edge that made him a nightmare to defend when he was healthy.
What makes his legacy linger, though, is how often injuries interrupted the run. Spleen surgery once cost him an entire season, and even after he led playoff scoring in 2002 and added more major hardware in 2002-03, the stops and starts kept piling up until his playing time dwindled and his career wound down. For Avalanche fans, Forsberg is still a reminder of what might have been if one of the sports most gifted players had ever gotten a clean stretch. [Read more 🡒]