Colorado Avalanche Looking for Another Home Win vs. Calgary

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 27: Nathan MacKinnon
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 27: Nathan MacKinnon /
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The Colorado Avalanche hope to continue their winning ways in Pepsi Center against conference rivals, the Calgary Flames. Both teams are coming into their second game of a back-to-back.

The Colorado Avalanche are 7-1-1 in the Pepsi Center. That’s very impressive when you consider the one overtime loss actually occurred in Sweden. Their only home regulation loss came at the hands of the St. Louis Blues, who are practically Cup contenders,

What’s more, Pepsi Center games are exciting. Through the nine games on home ice, no fewer than three goals have been scored per game. None of these 1-0 snoozefests.

The Avalanche are coming off a shootout heartbreaker in Minnesota. Colorado fell to the Wild 3-2 in the shootout, during which time Alex Stalock made saves on both Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, while Jonathan Bernier stopped Mikko Koivu but allowed Charlie Coyle and Chris Stewart to score.

The Calgary Flames dropped a 6-4 decision to the Stars in Dallas last night. Fun fact: Both teams are playing their second game of a back-to-back series. For Colorado, this is their sixth.

All time, the Colorado Avalanche enjoy a margin of victory over the Calgary Flames. All time, the Avs are 54-49-2-8(ties) over the Flames. However, last season the teams met three times, and Calgary won all three contests.

How to Enjoy the Game

Game time: November 25, 8:00 pm MT
TV Networks: Altitude TV (Avs feed), CBC (Flames feed)
Radio: Altitude Radio (FM 92.5)

Past History with the Calgary Flames

More from Mile High Sticking

The Colorado Avalanche have received some aging forwards from the Flames over the years. The one that comes to most people’s minds is Jarome Iginla. He spent 16 seasons with Calgary, and almost 10 of those as their captain.

However, the one that sticks in my craw is Theo Fleury. He spent 11 seasons in Calgary before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche. He played just 15 regular season and 18 playoff games with Colorado before moving on to New York.

It wasn’t his brief, relatively uneventful time with the Avs that I hate. It’s the fact that, in 1999, the Avalanche sent my favorite player — Rene Corbet — to Calgary in exchange for Fleury.

That was the first time I’d seen a favored player traded. As you’ve seen on this site, I don’t react well to losing a favored player — or coach, for that matter.

Players to Watch

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has six points in his last five games dating back to his hat trick against the Washington Capitals. Landeskog is third on the team for scoring with 17 points and leads all Avalanche players with nine goals. If Landeskog keeps up this pace, he’ll match his career-best 65 points.

Though the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets busted up an impressive points streak — 19 points (8 goals, 11 assists) in 10 games — little Johnny Hockey, Johnny Gaudreau got back to his scoring ways with a goal and two assists in the loss against the Dallas Stars.

Next: Crazy Nines Doing fine

The Colorado Avalanche will face the Flames two more times this season, once in Calgary on February 24 and again at home on February 28.