Avalanche down Flames, stay atop Northwest

A pair of goals late in the second period Tuesday night propelled the Colorado Avalanche to their second 3-2 win at Calgary in three weeks.

A Milan Hejduk(notes) pass deflected off the right skate of Flames defenceman Jay Bouwmeester(notes) in the crease and past goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff(notes) for the winning goal on a power play with 54 seconds left.

The Avalanche, who snapped a three-game losing skid, had erased a 2-1 deficit 66 seconds earlier, taking advantage of a poor line change by the home side when Cody McLeod(notes) converted a Paul Stastny(notes) pass for his fourth goal of the season.

“That second goal was a terrible goal to give up,” said Flames head coach Brent Sutter. “You get up 2-1 and you’ve got to really clamp down and do it the right way.”

With its fourth consecutive win over Calgary and seventh in 13 road starts this season, Colorado improved its record to 13-5-3 and moved three points ahead of the second-place Flames in the Northwest Division.

On Oct. 28, the Avalanche found themselves down 2-0 to Calgary just 70 seconds after the opening faceoff, but fought back with three unanswered goals.

Calgary pressed in the third period on Tuesday, outshooting its opponent 11-4, but Craig Anderson(notes) stood tall to earn his 12th win in 20 starts this season.

It was a night of redemption for the Avalanche goalie, who was pulled in Saturday’s 8-2 loss to Vancouver after allowing four goals on 22 shots.

While Anderson stopped 34 of 36 shots he faced, the Avalanche defence also blocked 24 more shots to keep Calgary’s offence off balance.

“Their D seemed to get in front of every shot,” said Flames forward Rene Bourque(notes), recalling that the Avalanche employed similar tactics in the Oct. 28 meeting. “The last time we played them, same thing. They did a good job of taking our space away and they got big in front of you.”

Anderson preserved the victory when he made a nice pad save on a point-blank shot by Olli Jokinen(notes) with three minutes left on the clock.

“I’m there for my teammates,” Anderson said. “There’s going to be breakdowns, you’ve got to make the save for that and keep the score 3-2.”

Former Flames defenceman Ryan Wilson(notes) provided offensive support with his first NHL goal and an assist, while Stastny chipped in with two assists.

Kiprusoff made 21 saves as he lost in regulation for the first time in November.

Colorado kept it a 3-2 game without the services of veteran blue-liner Adam Foote(notes), who exited in the second period with an injured jaw and didn’t return.

Calgary appeared on its way to a sixth win in seven outings when captain Jarome Iginla(notes) was rewarded for some solid work along the boards midway through the second period.

After keeping the puck in the Colorado zone, Iginla backed off and got himself in position for a Curtis Glencross(notes) pass, blasting a shot over Anderson’s glove and under the crossbar for his 12th goal of the season and seventh in as many contests to tie the game 1-1.

Glencross was in the lineup for the first time since being assessed a three-game suspension for a blindside hit that left the New York Rangers’ Chris Drury(notes) with a concussion.

The Flames grabbed the lead for the first time late in the second. With Eric Nystrom(notes) serving a boarding penalty, they took advantage of a bad break for Avalanche defenceman Kyle Quincey(notes), whose stick exploded on a slapshot.

Dustin Boyd(notes) alertly picked up the loose puck and fed Bouwmeester. The defenceman gained the Colorado blue-line and slid a pass to Bourque, who wired a shot to the far corner by Anderson for a short-handed marker.

Wilson, who was acquired from Calgary along with forward Lawrence Nycholat(notes) and a draft pick for fellow defenceman Jordan Leopold(notes), pounced on a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble and beat Kiprusoff eight minutes into the first period.

“I didn’t really play with them but it’s always nice to score on your old team or old organization,” said Wilson, who spent last season playing for the American Hockey League’s Quad City Flames and then the Lake Erie Monsters after the trade. “I’m just happy to get the win and to score my first goal in a winning game. Certainly I’ll remember this one.”

The 12-5-2 Flames host the Central Division-leading Chicago Blackhawks, winners of four straight, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. MT.