Flames Fall To Avalanche

Devon Toews, Cale Makar and Jaden Schwartz each had a pair of goals as the Avalanche defeated the Flames 7-3 Thursday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Calgary got goals from Adam Klapka, Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl - while Jonathan Castagna earned an assist in his NHL debut - but the Flames were resigned to a fourth consecutive defeat to begin the new campaign.

The Turning Point:

The game was tied 1-1 early in the second period, and that's when the Avalanche took control in the offensive zone. A lengthy shift concluded with Devon Toews' second tally of the night, then Cale Makar and a Nathan MacKinnon one-timer extended the advantage to 4-1 for the visitors, with the three markers coming in a span of 4:54.

The Debut:

A day after joining the club for practice, Jonathan Castagna made his NHL debut Thursday, with his family on hand at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The 21-year-old - acquired via trade from Utah in March - even hit the scoresheet in his first period of NHL action, earning a primary assist on Adam Klapka's marker.

In all, the Cornell product played 9:09, finishing the night with three hits and a 50% win rate in the face-off circle.

Ice Chips:

Backlund led all skaters with eight shots on goal ... Martin Pospisil won nine of his 13 face-off attempts ... Joel Farabee extended his point streak to three games with a third-period assist.

Stat Pack:

Shots: CGY 29, COL 30

Powerplay: CGY 0-2, COL 0-3

Faceoffs: CGY 41.4%, COL 58.6%

Blocked Shots: CGY 15, COL 14

Hits: CGY 23, COL 18

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 25, COL 28

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 9, COL 10

Lines & Pairings:

FORWARDS

Matvei Gridin - Morgan Frost - Matt Coronato

Yegor Sharangovich - Mikael Backlund - Joel Farabee

Sam Honzek - Martin Pospisil - Ryan Strome

Aydar Suniev - Jonathan Castagna - Adam Klapka

DEFENCEMEN

Kevin Bahl - Zach Whitecloud

Yan Kuznetsov - Simon Nemec

Jake Middleton - Zayne Parekh

GOALTENDERS

Devin Cooley (starter)

Dustin Wolf

They Said It:

What's Next:

Calgary will take on the Anaheim Ducks in a home-and-home set, beginning with a Saturday evening contest at the Scotiabank Saddledome, presented by the Calgary Humane Society. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. MT. CLICK FOR TICKETS