Mile High Sticking
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Colorado Avalanche Hope to Keep Dousing the Flames

ByNadia Archuleta|
CALGARY, AB - APRIL 19: Colorado Avalanche Center Nathan MacKinnon (29) has words for Calgary Flames Center Mikael Backlund (11) before a face-off during the third period of Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs where the Calgary Flames hosted the Colorado Avalanche on April 19, 2019, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CALGARY, AB - APRIL 19: Colorado Avalanche Center Nathan MacKinnon (29) has words for Calgary Flames Center Mikael Backlund (11) before a face-off during the third period of Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs where the Calgary Flames hosted the Colorado Avalanche on April 19, 2019, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Colorado Avalanche need their own fire to beat a struggling Calgary Flames team. They need the win to keep up a successful roadie.

The Colorado Avalanche are facing a struggling Calgary Flames team. The Flames have lost their last four games, being shutout in the last two.

You hate to see that. And what I mean is, you love to see that. Except… it means the Flames are going to be a hungry team. They got shutout 3-0 by the Arizona Coyotes and an embarrassing 6-0 by the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Flames are still 10-10-3 on the season — compared to 12-6-2 for the Avalanche. They’ve dropped out of a playoff spot, for what that’s worth this early in the season. But we’d be ill-advised to count them out.

Meanwhile, the Avs are coming off that 5-4 OT win debacle. I say debacle because as any Avs fan can tell you — not to mention our superstar Nathan MacKinnon himself — that game should never have gone to overtime. When Matt Calvert lay prone and bleeding on the ice, the play should have been whistled dead.

Well, water under the bridge, I guess. And I can report that, while Calvert still isn’t feeling up to snuff, he is feeling better. He’s returned to Denver to get worked on by the team medical staff.

Anyway, MacKinnon ended that dubious overtime in a furious manner — you could tell he was very angry at the Calvert situation. Here’s the hate-goal:

Savage. It took him just 27 seconds to end an overtime he didn’t believe in. As Marc Moser says in the video, justice for Matt was served. Oh, and he earned second star of the week honors from the NHL.

They’ll need some of that energy tonight. Hope and pray it’s not because of another injury. I’ve lost count of the number of players out.

One of those players, unfortunately, is Tyson Jost. He was in no-contact red at practice yesterday:

According to Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic, he also didn’t finish the practice. He’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury. It’s doubtful he’ll play tonight.

Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche recalled forward Logan O’Connor from the Colorado Eagles. With both Calvert and, likely, Jost out, he’ll probably skate on the fourth line.

The Avs are the walking wounded right now. However, they’ve been finding ways to win. If they just take the game period-by-period, shift-by-shift, they can win tonight, too.

How to Enjoy the Game

Game time: Nov. 19, 7:00 pm MT
TV: ALT, SN1 (Flames’ feed)
Radio: Altitude Radio (AM 950/FM 92.5)

Tonight marks the second of three meetings between the two teams. The Colorado Avalanche hosted the Flames on opening night, beating them 5-3.

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