For the third time this season, the Colorado Avalanche faced off against the Calgary Flames, this time in Denver, Colorado. The Flames have been competing for a wild card spot in the Western Conference and are currently just seven points away from securing the second spot. Meanwhile, the Avalanche were looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to the St. Louis Blues, who have been performing well.
Throughout most of the game, the Avalanche controlled the neutral zone and got the necessary key saves. However, the Flames managed to stay in the game, generating chances, and came back from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime. This led to a shootout, in which the Flames emerged victorious, taking home two crucial points with a final score of 3-2.
Game Recap
The Avalanche controlled the pace early in the period, generating a lot of space within the neutral zone. However, the Flames did their best to limit their chances, blocking many of them. They limited the shots to only 4-2 within the first ten minutes of the period. Physicality went the Flames’ way, especially in the second half of the period. They had 19 hits to finish the period, with Martin Pospisil having eight of the 19 hits.
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Cale Makar opened the scoring with four minutes left in the period to make it 1-0. The passing on the play was great for setting Makar up in the middle of the zone, shaking off his defender with a shoulder fake, and whipping a wrist shot top right to beat Dan Vladar. Nathan MacKinnon assisted on the play, bumping his home point streak to 25 games and becoming the first player in Avalanche history to record consecutive 80-assist seasons. Peter Stastny did it in 1981-82 (93 assists) and 1985-86 (81 assists), but that was back with the Quebec Nordiques.
The Flames took the first penalty of the game when Joel Farabee cross-checked Sam Malinski, but the Flames were able to kill it off. Logan O’Connor doubled the lead when he went cross-crease and waited out Vadar to put it in the net to make it 2-0. The Flames continued their physicality, but it ended up hurting them. Right before the buzzer ended for the period, Blake Coleman took a roughing penalty against Makar, ending the period 2-0 and sending the Avalanche to the power play to begin the third.
The Flames open the period by killing off the roughing penalty. Their intensity was noticeable in the third period, as they played much faster and generated more chances and shots than the Avalanche. Ryan Lindgren was called for cross-checking Matt Coronato. As the penalty ended, Lomberg batted a loose puck in front of the net and got the Flames within one shortly after Makar was stripped of the puck in the neutral zone, and it was Adam Klapka who rifled one past Wedgewood to tie the game up and send it to overtime.
Overtime saw a lot of chances, but nothing came of it, and the shootout was needed. It was Yegor Sharangovich who was the only scorer in the shootout and ended the game 3-2.
The Avalanche return to action on Wednesday, April 2, when they face off against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago. Puck drop is set for 9.30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Flames head to Utah to face the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday, April 1. Puck drop is set for 9 p.m.
