Colorado 6, Calgary 3
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Referees:
Brian Pochmara, Brad Watson
Linesmen:
Mike Cvik, Darren Gibbs
Attendance:
14408
By The Sports Xchange
DENVER -- Matt Duchene knew he would start finding the net again. He did at the right time for him and the Colorado Avalanche.
Duchene broke out of a scoring slump with two goals, right winger Jarome Iginla had two goals and an assist and the Avalanche scored twice 1:28 apart late in the third to beat the slumping Calgary Flames 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Center Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists and defenseman Erik Johnson had a goal and assist for the Avalanche, which won just their second home game of the season.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves.
"Tonight it was fun to see us play good hockey and win at the same time," Colorado coach Patrick Roy said.
Duchene had not scored since Oct. 18 at Los Angeles but he ended that drought with two big goals. His first, with 22 seconds left in the first period, gave Colorado a 1-0 lead. The center's second one came right after MacKinnon scored to break a 3-all tie at 13:01.
"I really wasn't gripping the stick, I was just focused on putting as much on net as I could," said Duchene, who finished with six shots. "I knew it would come at some point if I kept shooting."
Left winger Johnny Gaudreau, center Sam Bennett and defenseman Mark Giordano scored for Calgary, which has won just twice in 11 games. Goalie Karri Ramo had 36 saves.
The Flames trailed 3-2 entering the third and tied it when Giordano's shot went off Avalanche defenseman Francois Beauchemin and bounced past Varlamov at 7:34.
Not long after, Iginla won a battle along the right boards, fed MacKinnon in the slot and his shot beat Ramo.
"That's the story of the start of our season right now," Flames coach Bob Hartley said. "We lost the battle on the wall, 3-3 game and the puck's in our net. That's where it is. We have to get dirtier in critical areas and critical times of the game. That's why we lost."
Duchene got an insurance goal when he tipped in Beauchemin's shot at 14:29.
Iginla added an empty-net goal at 17:11, his team-leading sixth of the season.
Iginla got the better of his old team with his first goal of the game, giving Colorado a 2-1 lead when he tipped in defenseman Tyson Barrie's shot from the right circle at 12:19 of second period.
Iginla's tally came between two Calgary near goals. The first was waved off because the net was knocked off its moorings before the puck crossed the line and the second was disallowed because the puck was securely under Varlamov's pads when it was poked in.
Both calls were upheld upon video review.
"I looked at the replays," Bennett said. "It is frustrating, but I think the refs made the right call."
Colorado took a 3-1 lead when Johnson scored a short-handed goal at 15:14 of the second. Calgary got within one on Bennett's second of the season at 18:33 of the period.
"I was screaming, screaming, screaming to Beauch to give me the puck," Johnson said of his goal. "He zipped it across and I got a quick slapper off and put it over the glove. Any time you can get a contribution shorthanded it boosts the team and I'm just happy to get the win. There's nothing better than winning."
Gaudreau tied at 4:08 of the second on a 3-on-1. He came down the right side and beat Varlamov with a snap shot over his right shoulder.
It was Gaudreau's second of the year and team-leading 13th point.
NOTES: The Avalanche recalled C Ben Street from San Antonio of the AHL. He was in the lineup for C John Mitchell, who was scratched with an oblique injury. ... The Flames entered are 2-for-22 on the power play in the past eight games. They also allowed five short-handed goals in last five games. ... Avalanche RW Jarome Iginla, who spent 15-plus seasons in Calgary, is the Flames' all-time leader in points (1,095), goals (525) and games played (1,219). His 570 assists rank second to Al MacInnis (609). ... The Flames entered Tuesday second in the league in blocked shots. Colorado is first.
Top Game Performances
| Calgary |
|
Colorado |
|
Sam Bennett 2 |
Points |
Jarome Iginla 3 |
|
Sam Bennett 1 |
Goals |
Jarome Iginla 2 |
|
Sam Bennett 1 |
Assists |
Tyson Barrie 3 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Matt Duchene 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
Erik Johnson 1 |
|
Karri Ramo .878 |
Save Percentage |
Semyon Varlamov .880 |
|
Karri Ramo 36 |
Saves |
Semyon Varlamov 22 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Calgary
|
25 |
3 |
0-2 |
2-3 |
6 |
28 |
| Colorado
|
42 |
6 |
1-3 |
2-2 |
4 |
27 |
Upcoming Games
-
Colorado will play their next game on the road against Arizona. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .444 after a loss.
-
Calgary will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Flames have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .300 after a loss.
For more information, contact us