The Colorado Avalanche kept the offense rolling Thursday night, scoring seven times in a 7-3 win over the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome.
It was Colorado’s third game in four outings with at least six goals, and the Avalanche moved to 3-1-0 with their first road victory of the season. Devon Toews, Cale Makar and Jaden Schwartz each scored twice, Nathan MacKinnon added a goal and two assists, and Brett Kulak finished with two helpers. Makar also had an assist.
Rookie forward T.J. Hughes collected his first NHL point on a primary assist, while Zachary L’Heureux got his first point with Colorado by helping on MacKinnon’s goal.
The Avalanche struck first late in the opening period when Toews scored his first goal of the season. Calgary answered before the horn, as Adam Klapka tied it up.
Colorado then took control in the second period and never let go. Toews made it 2-1 at 6:45, and Makar followed a little more than two minutes later to stretch the lead again. MacKinnon then buried a one-timer from the blue line at 11:39 after Colorado spent a long shift pinned in the offensive zone, cycling the puck and even getting two full line changes in without giving it away.
The Avalanche added to it in the third. Makar scored again, Schwartz added one, and Hughes picked up an assist on Colorado’s sixth goal. Calgary briefly responded with two goals in 43 seconds, but Schwartz answered with his second of the night to push the lead back to four.
L’Heureux also dropped the gloves with Flames forward Matt Coronato. Later, after serving his penalty, he broke in alone on Dustin Wolf but was denied.
Wolf stopped 23 shots for Calgary, and L’Heureux looked visibly frustrated as he returned to the bench. A goal there would have completed a Gordie Howe hat trick.
Scott Wedgewood made 26 saves for Colorado to earn the win in his first start of the season.
The Avalanche have not exactly been tested by a brutal opening slate. Their first four games have come against three teams that missed the playoffs last spring and one that finished 16th in the league standings among playoff teams. Still, Colorado has handled what’s in front of it, leaning on high-end skill and depth to dictate games.
They scored eight goals against the Los Angeles Kings on opening night, then six against the St. Louis Blues, before putting up seven against Calgary.
The one blemish came in Winnipeg, where Colorado lost on a goal with 60 seconds left in regulation. That result stung, but the Jets are a team the Avalanche have traditionally found difficult to beat on the road, and they were expected to be much better than they were a season ago.
The bigger concern, even in a comfortable win, is how often Colorado has allowed opponents to score in bunches. Los Angeles chipped away at the Avalanche on opening night with a pair of shorthanded goals, and Calgary did the same Thursday with two goals in 43 seconds while the game was already out of reach.
That didn’t change the final score, but it’s the kind of stretch Jared Bednar will want cleaned up before Colorado’s next challenge. The Avalanche have just one game before a back-to-back against the Dallas Stars, who are riding a two-game winning streak and have shut out both opponents. Against a team like that, the margin for error gets a lot smaller.
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Avalanche Send An Early Message With One Defense Decision
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The move fit the message Bednar has been sending early: no one on the defense is locked into anything if the play is not there. Juulsens insertion came in a 7-3 win over the Flames, and while the Avalanche clearly like Malinskis long-term profile, his early struggles have opened the door to more competition than he has faced since establishing himself. For a team trying to settle its defensive mix, that is a reminder that recent performance can matter more than what happened last spring. [Read more 🡒]
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For Colorado fans, Woods name still carries a memorable playoff imprint after his overtime winner in Game 1 of the 2024 second-round series against Dallas. Now theres at least a chance he surfaces in Denver again, this time in a different sweater and in a different role than the one Avalanche supporters remember, with his Toronto debut still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Reunion Night Comes With One Intriguing Lineup Twist
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Blankenburg is the more interesting name to watch because Toronto may need him to step in after an injury to Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Wood is also back with the big club after a recent AHL recall, though he is not expected to play, which leaves one small lineup wrinkle still worth monitoring before puck drop. [Read more 🡒]