Flames at Avalanche
The Calgary Flames are getting impressive production from a pair of young players; the Colorado Avalanche wish they could stay the same. Calgary's dynamic duo of rookie Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan look to continue piling up the points Saturday night as the Flames visit the Avalanche. Gaudreau, Monahan and Jiri Hudler combined to rack up nine points in Friday's 6-3 triumph over visiting Toronto - a victory that lifted Calgary into second place in the Pacific Division race.
While Gaudreau (53 points) and Monahan (27 goals) have caught fire at the right time, the Avalanche can only lament what could have been with their own young stars. Captain Gabriel Landeskog (47 points) and Matt Duchene (43 points) both have underachieved for the majority of the season, while former top overall pick Nathan McKinnon is out for the season with a broken foot, halting a dismal 38-point campaign. But the Avalanche have been hot of late, coming in having won four of five.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBC (Calgary), ALT (Colorado)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (38-25-5): Eyebrows went up when Calgary selected Gaudreau 104th overall in the 2011 draft; at 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, it was thought that the odds were against the Carney's Point, N.J., native ever reaching the NHL. But the 21-year-old hasn't just made it - he's tied for the rookie scoring lead with Nashville's Filip Forsberg while developing instant chemistry with Hudler and Monahan, who ranks 12th in the NHL in goals as a 20-year-old. Gaudreau has been particularly strong of late, racking up four goals and five assists over his last six games.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (31-26-11): There hasn't been much for which to cheer in Denver this season, but the play of veteran defenseman Brad Stuart has his coach full of pride. "I think this is a guy we don't talk enough about," Patrick Roy told reporters Friday. "He's been outstanding. he's been a warrior for us on the ice. He's been finishing checks, he's been a really good addition to this team." Colorado's beleaguered power play opened the month converting 4-of-12 opportunities, but has gone 0-for-6 in two games since.
OVERTIME
1. Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by a goal.
2. Calgary has won five straight Saturday night games.
3. Monahan, Gaudreau and Hudler each have six-game point streaks.