Flames at Avalanche
After seeing their second six-game winning streak of the season come to an end, the Colorado Avalanche look to return to their triumphant ways when they host the Calgary Flames on Friday. Matt Duchene collected his team-leading 10th goal and added two assists, but Colorado was unable to slow down Nashville in a 6-4 loss on Wednesday. The setback dropped the Avalanche to 1-1-0 on their four-game homestand, which wraps up Sunday against Washington.
Calgary surprised many by jumping out to a 3-0-2 start before dropping eight of its last 11 to fall into sixth place in the Pacific Division. After posting a 3-2 overtime win over Chicago on Sunday to open their four-game road trip, the Flames suffered a 5-1 setback to Minnesota before being edged 3-2 by St. Louis on Thursday. Friday's tilt will see the return of David Jones and defenseman Shane O'Brien, who were traded to Calgary in June for Alex Tanguay and blue-liner Cory Sarich.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, RSN West (Calgary), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (6-8-2): Calgary went 0-for-6 on its punchless power play Thursday to extend its streak of failed conversions to 28 over the past eight contests. "I'd like to buy one," Bob Hartley told the Calgary Herald. "I know the guys are working, but right now, it seems we can't turn the red light on the power play." Mike Cammalleri, who scored his fifth goal in nine games on Thursday, tallied four times in his last three meetings with Colorado.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (12-2-0): Although his union on a line with captain Gabriel Landeskog and Paul Stastny ended after two games, top overall pick Nathan MacKinnon isn't hanging his head at the demotion. "I'm comfortable, obviously, at center and excited to go back to being a center," MacKinnon told the Denver Post on Thursday. "There's some things I could have done better. ... I just have to do whatever's asked of me." Jamie McGinn is expected to place MacKinnon and join Stastny and Landeskog on that line.
OVERTIME
1. Tanguay is expected to be sidelined two weeks with a knee injury.
2. As members of the Northwest Division, the Flames and Avalanche split their four-game series last season.
3. Avalanche D Ryan Wilson is nursing a back injury and isn't expected to play on Friday.