Rantanen nets four points as Avs rout the host Flames
CALGARY >> Dan Vladar looked like he was having the night of his life as an NHL goalie through the first 24 minutes Tuesday night.
Then the Colorado Avalanche unleashed a dizzying 16-minute flurry of offense that would have humbled just about any NHL goaltender. Mikko Rantanen had two goals and two assists, including three points during a five-goal second period, to help the Avs crush the Calgary Flames, 6-2, at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Vladar stopped 23 of the first 24 shots he faced, but the problem for Calgary is there was still more than 36 minutes to play at that point. Yielding a shot per minute is not an ideal strategy against any team, and eventually the dam broke for the Avs.
Josh Manson’s shot hit Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau on the way in at 4:50. Nathan Mackinnon’s filthy one-timer over Vladar’s far shoulder came 58 seconds later.
Valeri Nichushkin followed 2:03 after that with a hard wrist shot off the left post and in. Casey Mittelstadt scored his first with the Avs at 14:10 on a perfectly executed breakout play. Rantanen finished the barrage with a shot from almost the same angle as Mackinnon’s just seconds after Cale Makar rifled one off the post.
The final damage was five goals in 11 shots on goal before the Flames mercifully gave Vladar the third period off. Mackinnon, Nichushkin and Devon Toews all had two points. Brandon Duhaime collected his first point on Mittelstadt’s goal.
Nichushkin scored the game-winner in his first game back, and created the opening goal Tuesday night after a quick promotion to the top power-play unit in his second contest. Nichushkin collected the rebound of a Mackinnon shot from the left flank then slipped a pass across the top of the crease to Rantanen for a lay-up 2:05 into the first period.
The assist for Mackinnon was his 112th point of the season, setting a new career best. He’s at 113, the most by an Avs player since Joe Sakic had 118 in 200001, with 16 games to play. The franchise record is 139, set by Peter Stastny in 198182. Sakic holds the Colorado record, for now, with the 120 he had in 1995-96.
Calgary scored twice in its first three shots, but that proved to be a temporary blip for backup goaltender Justus Annunen. This became his fifth consecutive strong outing, and further bolstered the idea that maybe Colorado didn’t need to trade for a veteran option in net before the deadline.
Annunen had back-toback shutouts before this game, and has now allowed four goals in his past four starts.
Footnotes
Artturi Lehkonen (illness) did not play. Zach Parise (lower body) participated in the morning skate in a red no-contact jersey and also was not in the lineup.