The Colorado Avalanche needed a convincing performance against the Calgary Flames on Saturday night, and that’s what they got.
Colorado defeated Calgary 5-2 at Ball Arena, with Cale Makar recording four assists and Artturi Lehkonen scoring twice. Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas also found the back of the net, while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 25 of 27 shots.
There is no question that it was a massive win for an Avalanche team looking to build some consistency. Colorado improved to 8-5-1, winning its second consecutive game and third in its last four.
Makar had one heck of an offensive game, while Lehkonen and MacKinnon provided plenty of offensive fireworks on the night.
Yes, there was a brief moment when the Flames threatened to complicate things. Colorado handled it without allowing the game to get away.
Cale Makar and Artturi Lehkonen continue to drive Avalanche offense
Makar was the obvious headline from Saturday's game.
The Norris Trophy winner was money in the bank, racking up four assists. The performance was just another example of how dominant Makar can be on the offensive side of the puck. Makar was all over the ice, helping MacKinnon and Lehkonen get on the scoresheet.
As a result, Makar earned the game’s first star.
As for Lehkonen, the top-liner scored twice against Calgary, extending his point streak to nine games. Lehkonen now has 12 tallies on the season, giving Colorado the sort of consistent goal-scoring that the team needs to stay ahead of opponents.
The Avalanche also got a power-play goal from Necas, who converted a cross-ice feed from Nazem Kadri early in the second period. MacKinnon opened the scoring in the first, and Brock Nelson made it 4-0 midway through the second after redirecting Gabriel Landeskog's centering pass.
That is the kind of offensive balance Colorado needs.
It shows that opponents cannot simply focus on shutting down MacKinnon and expect the rest of the lineup to disappear.
Makar's performance was particularly encouraging because the Avalanche need him to shoulder even more responsibility with Josh Manson sidelined. His offensive production is always valuable, but his ability to influence the game in multiple ways becomes even more important when Colorado is dealing with injuries on the blue line.
Blackwood gives Colorado stability as Flames push back
The score suggests the Avalanche cruised to the win on Saturday night. But the Flames did complicate things down the stretch.
After opening up a 4-0 lead, the Flames pushed back to make the game 4-2 early in the third period. However, the Avs kept this cool, and sealed the victory with Lehkonen’s second of the night after Martin Pospisil made it 4-2 about two minutes into the final frame.
In the end, Blackwood made sure that Calgary could not get back into the game.
The goaltender finished with 25 saves, including several important stops that prevented the Flames from getting any closer. His first-period glove save on Matt Coronato was an early Save of the Year candidate, and he continued to come up with timely answers as Calgary tried to generate momentum.
Ultimately, Lehkonen eventually restored Colorado's three-goal cushion at 4:09 of the third, redirecting Makar's point shot past Arsenii Sergeev.
That goal effectively ended the comeback attempt.
Of course, there is still work for Colorado to do. Allowing Calgary to score twice after building a four-goal lead is not something the coaching staff will necessarily celebrate, particularly with tougher opponents ahead. But the Avalanche did not panic when the Flames made their push.
Colorado has now won three of its last four games, and the performances from Makar, Lehkonen and Blackwood offer plenty of reasons for optimism. The Avalanche will need all three to keep producing as the schedule gets more demanding.
Saturday was not a perfect performance. It was, however, another step toward the kind of hockey Colorado expects to play.
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