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 Duchene broke out of a scoring slump with two goals, right winger
Jarome Iginla had two goals and an assist and the Avalanche scored
twice 1:28 apart late in the third to beat the slumping Calgary
Flames 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Center Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists and defenseman
Erik Johnson had a goal and assist for the Avalanche, which won just
their second home game of the season.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves.
"Tonight it was fun to see us play good hockey and win at the same
time," Colorado coach Patrick Roy said.
Duchene had not scored since Oct. 18 at Los Angeles but he ended
that drought with two big goals. His first, with 22 seconds left in
the first period, gave Colorado a 1-0 lead. The center's second one
came right after MacKinnon scored to break a 3-all tie at 13:01.
"I really wasn't gripping the stick, I was just focused on putting
as much on net as I could," said Duchene, who finished with six
shots. "I knew it would come at some point if I kept shooting."
Left winger Johnny Gaudreau, center Sam Bennett and defenseman Mark
Giordano scored for Calgary, which has won just twice in 11 games.
Goalie Karri Ramo had 36 saves.
The Flames trailed 3-2 entering the third and tied it when
Giordano's shot went off Avalanche defenseman Francois Beauchemin
and bounced past Varlamov at 7:34.
Not long after, Iginla won a battle along the right boards, fed
MacKinnon in the slot and his shot beat Ramo.
"That's the story of the start of our season right now," Flames
coach Bob Hartley said. "We lost the battle on the wall, 3-3 game
and the puck's in our net. That's where it is. We have to get
dirtier in critical areas and critical times of the game. That's why
we lost."
Duchene got an insurance goal when he tipped in Beauchemin's shot at
14:29.
Iginla added an empty-net goal at 17:11, his team-leading sixth of
the season.
Iginla got the better of his old team with his first goal of the
game, giving Colorado a 2-1 lead when he tipped in defenseman Tyson
Barrie's shot from the right circle at 12:19 of second period.
Iginla's tally came between two Calgary near goals. The first was
waved off because the net was knocked off its moorings before the
puck crossed the line and the second was disallowed because the puck
was securely under Varlamov's pads when it was poked in.
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Both calls were upheld upon video review.
"I looked at the replays," Bennett said. "It is frustrating, but I
think the refs made the right call."
Colorado took a 3-1 lead when Johnson scored a short-handed goal at
15:14 of the second. Calgary got within one on Bennett's second of
the season at 18:33 of the period.
"I was screaming, screaming, screaming to Beauch to give me the
puck," Johnson said of his goal. "He zipped it across and I got a
quick slapper off and put it over the glove. Any time you can get a
contribution shorthanded it boosts the team and I'm just happy to
get the win. There's nothing better than winning."
Gaudreau tied at 4:08 of the second on a 3-on-1. He came down the
right side and beat Varlamov with a snap shot over his right
shoulder.
It was Gaudreau's second of the year and team-leading 13th point.
NOTES: The Avalanche recalled C Ben Street from San Antonio of the
AHL. He was in the lineup for C John Mitchell, who was scratched
with an oblique injury. ... The Flames entered are 2-for-22 on the
power play in the past eight games. They also allowed five
short-handed goals in last five games. ... Avalanche RW Jarome
Iginla, who spent 15-plus seasons in Calgary, is the Flames'
all-time leader in points (1,095), goals (525) and games played
(1,219). His 570 assists rank second to Al MacInnis (609). ... The
Flames entered Tuesday second in the league in blocked shots.
Colorado is first.
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