Avalanche 7, Flames 3: Makar's Three-Point Homecoming Keeps Calgary Winless

CALGARY — This was supposed to be the tired game. The Avalanche flew into Calgary on the second night of a back-to-back, less than 24 hours after a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg, starting their backup goalie, down a winger on personal leave. Instead, Colorado hung seven on the Flames, Cale Makar turned his hometown rink into his personal showcase, and the only team that looked tired was the one that had the night off.

The 7-3 final wasn't even as close as it sounds. It was 1-1 after the first period — Devon Toews opened the scoring for Colorado, Adam Klapka answered for Calgary — and then the Avalanche scored three times in under five minutes in the second: Toews again, Makar, and Nathan MacKinnon, all before the period was half over. Makar and Jaden Schwartz added two more early in the third to make it 7-1 before Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl grabbed late consolation goals for the Flames.

For Makar, the night was a homecoming in the truest sense — the Calgary native putting up a three-point night in the building where he grew up watching hockey. His second goal, early in the third period, was the kind of end-to-end rush that makes opposing defensemen rethink their career choices, and it stretched the lead to 5-1 and put the game fully out of reach. When your best player treats a road back-to-back like a personal showcase, the rest of the lineup tends to follow.

Makar's homecoming, Schwartz's night, and a milestone for Burns

Makar, the Calgary kid, finished with two goals and an assist — the kind of night that makes the hometown crowd go quiet and then, grudgingly, loud. MacKinnon had a goal and two assists. Toews scored twice from the blue line. Schwartz scored twice, and his second goal came with an assist from Brent Burns — the 948th point of Burns' career, tying Chris Chelios for 10th all-time among NHL defensemen. That's a milestone worth more than the goal itself, and it came on a night when Colorado had milestones to spare.

Scott Wedgewood, making his season debut in net, stopped 26 of 29 shots — and did it in the 200th game of his NHL career. There's something fitting about a backup winning his 200th in a 7-3 laugher on the second night of a back-to-back. The Avalanche are 3-1-0, and they've now won 15 of their last 19 against Calgary, a rivalry that isn't much of one anymore.

The win keeps Colorado's early season on track at 3-1-0 and, just as importantly, keeps the Flames winless — Calgary is now 0-4-0 and the only team in the league without a point. The Avalanche have owned this matchup for years, winning 15 of the last 19 meetings, and Thursday was the most lopsided entry in a while. On the second night of a back-to-back, with the backup in net and a key winger out on personal leave, Colorado didn't just survive the schedule — it attacked it.

Calgary is in a dark place

Let's be honest about the Flames, because the numbers are brutal: 0-4-0, outscored 23-6, minus-17 goal differential, the worst in the league and the only team in the NHL without a single point. Devin Cooley made 23 saves and deserved better. The goals came from Klapka, Backlund, and Bahl — effort guys, which tells you the skill guys aren't producing.

The killer stretch came in the second period, when Colorado scored three times in under five minutes — Toews at 6:45, Makar at 9:16, MacKinnon at 11:39 — turning a 1-1 game into a 4-1 rout before the Flames could catch their breath. That's the difference between these two teams right now: the Avalanche can end a game in five minutes; the Flames can't seem to start one.

Colorado was also playing without Logan O'Connor, who is on personal leave after his father, Myles O'Connor, died at 59. The team announced the leave before the game. It's a reminder that the human stuff doesn't stop for the schedule — and that this Avalanche team won by four on the road while carrying it.

The schedule doesn't get kinder for Calgary: the Flames host Anaheim on Saturday. Colorado heads home to host Toronto on Saturday night. For the latest from around the league, hit the sports hub — and if you missed how this trip started, read our back-to-back preview from this morning.