Flames 3, Avalanche 2
Olli Jokinen scored with 4:50 left in the third period and the Calgary Flames’ slumbering power play woke up at home to defeat Colorado 3-2 on Thursday for their ninth straight victory over the Avalanche.
Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 16 shots to win his 10th straight against Colorado – including four this season – and hand the Avalanche their seventh straight loss on the road.
After T.J. Galiardi received a double-minor for high-sticking, Lee Stempniak and Curtis Glencross scored power-play goals 1:26 apart to put the Flames ahead 2-1.
The Flames entered the game with the NHL’s worst power play at home (3-for-47) and were 0-for-5 on Thursday prior to the outburst.
Glencross, who missed Tuesday’s 7-6 victory over Carolina because of the flu, also provided Jokinen with a beautiful cross-ice pass on the winning goal as Calgary improved to 5-1-1 in last seven games.
Galiardi made amends when he tied it 2-2 at 9:58 with his third goal in four games.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped a season-high 32 shots, including 25 in the first two periods.
Matt Duchene snapped a wrist shot past Kiprusoff at 15:15 of the second period for his team-high 10th goal of the season.
Colorado was without forwards Paul Stastny and Kevin Porter. Stastny missed his second straight game with a torso injury and Porter began serving a four-game suspension for his knee-to-knee hit Tuesday on Vancouver’s David Booth.