Makar scores in NHL debut as Avs overpower Flames

[April 16, 2019]  Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Cale Makar scored in his NHL debut, and the Colorado Avalanche put 56 shots on goal while beating the Calgary Flames 6-2 on Monday night in Denver in a Western Conference quarterfinals series.

Mikko Rantanen and Matt Nieto had a goal and an assist each, Erik Johnson also scored, and Philipp Grubauer stopped 25 shots for eighth-seeded Colorado, which took a 2-1 series lead over the top-seeded Flames.

Sam Bennett and TJ Brodie produced goals, and Mike Smith made 50 saves for the Flames. Calgary has dropped the past two games in the series after shutting out the Avalanche 4-0 in Game 1. The Flames took 50 minutes in penalties and allowed two power-play goals and a short-handed tally Monday.

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Denver.

The Avalanche struggled to score for most of two games in Calgary but wasted no time in getting on the board Monday. MacKinnon, who netted the overtime winner in Calgary on Saturday night, gave Colorado a 2-0 lead with a pair of power-play goals 5:08 apart in the first period.

He skated to the slot and beat Smith with a wrister at 8:26 and later in the period scored on a shot just under Smith's arm off a pass from Rantanen at 13:34.

Makar capped a whirlwind 48 hours when he beat Smith with his first NHL shot on goal at 16:02 of the first period to make it 3-0. Makar signed an entry-level contract with Colorado on Sunday, just hours after playing in the NCAA title game for the University of Massachusetts in Buffalo, N.Y., on Saturday night.

The Avalanche announced Monday morning that Makar would play, and his parents flew in from Calgary, arriving 10 minutes before the puck dropped. Colorado selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2017 draft.

Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) following his first NHL goal in the first period against the Calgary Flames in game three of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Nieto made it 4-0 with a short-handed goal at 7:51 of the second period, but Bennett answered on the power play 43 seconds later. Rantanen's goal at 12:58 of the second made it 5-1.

Johnson scored just 54 seconds into the third period on a redirection, but Brodie responded with a goal on a deflection 15 seconds later.

--Field Level Media

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