yardbarker
In a dominant display, the Colorado Avalanche secured a 7-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, fueled by Cale Makar's three-point performance in his hometown. Makar found the back of the net twice, while Devon Toews and Jaden Schwartz each contributed a pair of goals for the visiting Avalanche.
Nathan MacKinnon also made his mark with a goal and two assists, helping Colorado improve to three wins in their first four games of the season. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood turned aside 26 shots to earn the win in his 200th career appearance, and Brett Kulak chipped in with two assists.
For the Flames, Adam Klapka, Mikael Backlund, and Kevin Bahl scored, but it wasn't enough to avoid their fourth straight loss to open the season. Calgary has been outscored 23-6 in those defeats and sits at the bottom of the league standings. Goalie Devin Cooley made 23 saves in the losing effort.
Key Analysis
The Avalanche took control with a three-goal outburst in the second period. Toews broke a 1-1 tie at 6:45 of the middle frame with his second of the night, converting a point shot. Makar then doubled the lead at 9:16 by sliding a shot from the right face-off dot, and MacKinnon made it 4-1 just minutes later with a blistering one-timer from the high slot.
Makar extended the advantage five minutes into the third period with another powerful point shot, and Schwartz added his first of the game at 6:34 to make it 6-1. Rookie T.J. Hughes recorded his first career point with an assist on the play.
Backlund and Bahl scored 71 seconds apart to give the hosts a brief spark, but Schwartz netted his second of the game at 9:41 to seal the scoring. The Avalanche have now won 15 of their last 19 meetings against the Flames (15-1-3).
The game was lopsided after the teams traded first-period goals. Toews opened the scoring at 15:54 with his first of the season, redirecting a Makar shot-pass from in front. Klapka tied it less than two minutes later, using a toe-drag to get past a defender and ripping a shot off the post and in. Jonathan Castagna, in his NHL debut, picked up an assist on the goal.
Off the ice, Avalanche forward Logan O'Connor is on a leave of absence following the sudden death of his father, Myles, a former NHL player and Calgary businessman.
Originally reported by yardbarker.