The Flames set the tone for a physical first period right off the drop of the puck, Kevin Bahl finishing a check on Martin Necas in the offensive zone before Ryan Lomberg collided with Erik Johnson minutes later.
The heaviest belt of the frame came in the Flames defensive zone, though, when Martin Pospisil laid out Avs captain Nathan MacKinnon with a clean, hard hit along the wall.
That spurred the Calgarians on early. Rasmus Andersson found Nazem Kadri in the left circle at the four-minute mark, but his hard snapshot glanced off the glove of Colorado ‘keeper Scott Wedgewood.
Kadri clanked one off the left post minutes later - from about the same spot - after MacKenzie Weegar put a crisp, cross-ice pass on his tape.
The visitors took a 1-0 lead into the break, thanks to a seeing-eye point shot from Ryan Lindgren at the 13:21 mark.
Dryden Hunt - making only his second NHL appearance of the season after being recalled from the AHL’s Wranglers Friday - tested Wedgewood early in the second period when he was sprung on a breakaway.
Calgary had a 2-on-0 rush a few minutes later, Jonathan Huberdeau sifted a puck to the front of the net for Pospisil to re-direct, but again, Wedgewood made himself big at just the right time. At the other end, Wolf was forced into a penalty-shot stop off Cale Makar after the Avalanche defender’s breakaway attempt was impeded.
But where Makar failed, Parker Kelly succeeded, grabbing a bobbled puck at the Flames blue-line and snapped it home with 4:36 left on the clock.
If we’ve learned one thing from these Flames, it’s that they just don’t quit.
And that was the story of the third period - one that saw Calgary fire 14 shots on target.
Coleman got the locals on the board just past the three minute mark. Matt Coronato wired a hard shot on goal from the top of the right circle, and Coleman was right in place to bang home the rebound.
