Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas each had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche (8-5-1), who have won two straight and three of their past four (3-1-0). Cale Makar had four assists, Devon Toews had two assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 25 saves.
Joel Farabee and Martin Pospisil each scored for the Flames (6-8-0), who have lost two of their past three following a four-game winning streak. Arsenii Sergeev made 29 saves in his season debut.
MacKinnon scored to make it 1-0 Colorado at 14:13 of the first period with a wrist shot from high in the left circle that went top shelf short side over the shoulder. Makar attempted a centering pass to Necas that was deflected and bounced over to MacKinnon for the quick release.
Necas extended it to 2-0 with a power-play goal at 2:37 of the second period. Nazem Kadri fed him a cross-ice pass from below the right circle, and Necas one-timed it short side off the hip of Sergeev from under the left dot.
Lehkonen pushed it to 3-0 at 5:48 after his wrist shot from the high slot went far side past the glove. Makar made a move around Matvei Gridin and backhanded a pass to Lehkonen to set up the play as Lehkonen scored with a backhand shot from the slot.
Nelson scored to make it 4-0 at 9:07 when he redirected Gabriel Landeskog’s centering pass out of the air in front of the crease.
Farabee cut it to 4-1 at 10:50 after he fanned on a shot in the slot but kicked the loose puck to his blade and tucked it around the right leg of Blackwood at the top of the crease.
Pospisil scored to make it 4-2 at 1:59 of the third period when he one-timed Ryan Strome’s centering pass at the right side of the crease. Strome stole the puck from Brent Burns behind his own net, turned up ice, and fed Pospisil crashing the net for the shot past the left leg of Blackwood.
Lehkonen made it 5-2 at 4:09 when he redirected Makar’s point shot from the slot. Lehkonen tipped the puck down and and five-hole.
Flames defenseman Jake Middleton left the game late in the third period after contact in his own zone.
