Calgary Flames Lose 6-5 to Avalanche in Heart Breaker

It was a game of high tempo hockey in Danver Colorado on Monday night. Calgary and Colorado, two teams with a combined record of 2-6-1 in December, found themselves fighting each other to right their own respective ships. Here is your Calgary Hockey Now breakdown.  

Heads were turned out of the gate when Chris Tanev received an awkward hit from Colorado center Ross Colton 15 seconds into the game. Noah Hanifin promptly jumped Colton to earn the extra minor.  

15:46 into the first period, Blake Coleman swooped the puck around off of a Colorado turnover and laid it up to Nazem Kadri with a backhand pass. The 33-year-old Flames veteran snapped it high glove past for the first goal of the game. With the goal Kadri tied himself for team lead in goals with Blake Coleman and Elias Lindholm (7).  

With only 105 seconds remaining in the first period, Tomas Tatar notched his first goal 25 games into the season off of a behind-the-net setup from Ross Colton.  

The Colorado power play went to work early in the second period after Noah Hanifin took a slashing penalty on, once again, Ross Colton. After a minute of perimeter work, Avalanche franchise defenceman Cale Makar hammered a puck blocker side to take Colorado’s first lead of the game.  

Three and a half minutes later, Nazem Kadri set up Andrew Mangiapane for a one-timer to equal the score.  

With 6:39 remaining in the second period, Mikael Backlund found Coleman off the rush with a backhand pass. Coleman shot a wrister low glove to give the Flames a 3-2 lead.  

Colorado answered back 1:36 later off a Ben Meyers one-timer that saw four Flames players standing watching the play. With 5:03 left in the period – the game was tied 3-3. The second period scoring wasn’t finished. Minutes later, MacKenzie Weegar generated a dangerous rebound that Flames rookie Connor Zary managed to bat out of the air to put the Flames back up by one.  

Minutes after Zary’s goal, Noah Hanifin wheeled the puck low and fired the puck at Georgiev’s pads. Yegor Sharangovich found the careening puck and made no mistake burying Calgary’s fourth goal of the period.  

Down 5-3 through two periods and carrying a record of 1-3-1 in December, Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar took a chance to get his team back on track. Starter Alexander Georgiev was given the rest of the night off and 24 year old Ivan Prosvetov took over net minding duties for the rest of the game. 

Colorado pushed the tempo to start the final stanza. 8:40 into the third period Ross Colton once again made himself known with a sharp rebound goal off of a Josh Manson slap shot.  

The Avalanche soon concluded a two-goal rally on a Cale Makar shot that rebounded to find a crashing Mikko Rantanen. 5-5. 

The players in purple weren’t content with a tie. Valeri Nichushkin sprung Nathan MacKinnon with a stretch pass to give the 2013 first overall pick a clean break up the ice against Daniel Vladar. MacKinnon put a hard wrist shot past the Flames goaltender’s blocker for the final lead earned in the game.  

Despite a valiant effort over the final four and a half minutes of play, The Flames found their record drawing to 11-14-3. They face off against the Las Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow for the second half of a back-to-back.